Bracken

Y Fan Wen

Member
Location
N W Snowdonia
Latest news 13/5/21:

'The Bracken Control Group's application for an Emergency Authorisation to allow
the use of Asulam for bracken control during 2021 was considered by the Expert
Committee on Pesticides on 9th March. The application requested that the 120-day
authorisation period should start on 17th May and run until 13th September.

It is likely that an approval will be granted but discussion about the conditions that
will be attached to the approval is taking place.

Further information will be circulated as soon as anything is received from the
Chemicals Regulation Division of HSE.'


Have to be patient I suppose!
 

Y Fan Wen

Member
Location
N W Snowdonia

Approval has been granted at last. Looking at this year's conditions I have decided that it is a bust for this year myself.
Very unlikely that I will get approval from NRW in any realistic time scale so I'm not going to try. I'll leave it for next year.
These organisations need to grasp the continuous and unstoppable progress of nature and take these decisions in a timely way and not at the last minute. After all, the CRD has been reviewing this application since October.
 

Bowland Bob

Member
Livestock Farmer
When you spray with asulox does the bracken readily die or does it just go brown when the rest of the unsprayed bracken does?
 

Oat

Member
Location
Cheshire
It will not show much of an effect in the year of application as ASULOX is mainly transported to the rhizomes as the plant dies back. But in the following Spring you will see a BIG difference, the bracken will fail to emerge, and you will get very good control. A small amount of follow up spot application may be required on the odd plant which emerges.
 

Paulg4

New Member
Livestock Farmer
I've seen a couple of reports showing that bracken has some value for carbon capture and since it's also got uses for composting and bedding should I learn to love it and wait for grants to grow it, or should I spend £300 on some asulox?
 

Y Fan Wen

Member
Location
N W Snowdonia

Approval has been granted at last. Looking at this year's conditions I have decided that it is a bust for this year myself.
Very unlikely that I will get approval from NRW in any realistic time scale so I'm not going to try. I'll leave it for next year.
These organisations need to grasp the continuous and unstoppable progress of nature and take these decisions in a timely way and not at the last minute. After all, the CRD has been reviewing this application since October.
CRD been reviewing this again since 1st November and still no decision.
Gibbon in his magnum opus 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' quoted increasing bureaucracy as one of the reasons why the empire could not effectively combat the barbarian hordes.
Do we see a pattern here? Currently in throes of renewing movement of animals authorisation!!!
 

BrianV

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Dartmoor
When you spray with asulox does the bracken readily die or does it just go brown when the rest of the unsprayed bracken does?
When you spray with Asulan as it is now called be sure to use a wetting agent as well, we spray at a rate of 11litres a hectare, you will see no visible difference this year as has been said but it simply will not appear next year other than a few volunteers which you can get with a weed wipe or knap sack, Asulan will scorch grass badly if the bracken isn't very thick but it will not kill anything but bracken & docks.
 

Y Fan Wen

Member
Location
N W Snowdonia
CRD been reviewing this again since 1st November and still no decision.
Gibbon in his magnum opus 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' quoted increasing bureaucracy as one of the reasons why the empire could not effectively combat the barbarian hordes.
Do we see a pattern here? Currently in throes of renewing movement of animals authorisation!!!
CRD excelled themselves again. Authorisation applied for in October, Granted 20th June, 10 days before period starts, so 210 days considering it, 10 days before start! Ground based application on conservation areas only with prior approval, by NRW, in Wales case. I'm not going to bother again this year.
 

farmerm

Member
Location
Shropshire
Have bracken killing out a length of hedge... would Asulam kill it without finishing off the hedge? Timing would be now I presume or too late? Is it only in 20L? I am never going to use that much, that's 200 tanks at 100ml/10L?
 
Last edited:

Oat

Member
Location
Cheshire
Have bracken killing out a length of hedge... would Asulam kill it without finishing off the hedge? Timing would be now I presume or too late? Is it only in 20L? I am never going to use that much, that's 200 tanks at 100ml/10L?
It depends on the species in the hedge
From an old label-
1659961262987.png
 

Y Fan Wen

Member
Location
N W Snowdonia
I was just wondering if anyone has used amidosulfuron (Squire Ultra) last year and how it has worked?
Bracken is now on label with it. I'm half way through my first bottle and wondering if it is a quick sign effect like glypho or only next year like Asulox. Fortnight now from first use and I can't see anything yet. It claims one hour rainfast so very different from Asulox 24 hours.
 

Oat

Member
Location
Cheshire
I was just wondering if anyone has used amidosulfuron (Squire Ultra) last year and how it has worked?
Bracken is now on label with it. I'm half way through my first bottle and wondering if it is a quick sign effect like glypho or only next year like Asulox. Fortnight now from first use and I can't see anything yet. It claims one hour rainfast so very different from Asulox 24 hours.
You may some effect this season (very small), but like ASULOX, the main effect won't be until regrowth next year. In the longer-term you will probably also get less persistence from amidosulfuron and will need to start control measures sooner than with ASULOX.

It is also important to note that amidosulfuron may also be more damaging to other plants than ASULOX (eg. shrubs, moorland species etc...). Whether this is a issue depends on what you want to achieve.
 

Bertram

Member
If spraying Asulox nowish, and I've generally had best results just when the tips start to brown off, how soon is it ok to run the flail through it to mulch it down before the winter? I was thinking probably mid-September?
 

Oat

Member
Location
Cheshire
If spraying Asulox nowish, and I've generally had best results just when the tips start to brown off, how soon is it ok to run the flail through it to mulch it down before the winter? I was thinking probably mid-September?
you need to spray just before the fronds start to 'bronze'. This is the point at which the majority of energy and transfer in the plant is going from the the fronds to the rhizomes. If you do it too early or too late you won't get as much transfer to the rhizomes, and it is the rhizomes you need to kill.

I would leave the foliage for as long as possible to ensure that as much chemical is translocated through the plant. As the foliage starts to turn the plants should die back anyway
 

Y Fan Wen

Member
Location
N W Snowdonia
Latest from BCG: https://www.brackencontrol.co.uk/news

Newsletters​

  • 18 Sep 2022
    BCG Update - September 2022
    For those at the sharp end of bracken control, it has been a busy summer and September is time to take stock.

    The focus of these newsletters is often on pesticide use, but the bracken control that takes place by cutting, bruising and other physical techniques is also vitally important. This week, I came across a large area of bracken in Cumbria that had been cut and baled. This provided effective control and presumably the bales would be used as bedding to offset the increasing costs of straw. This is another aspect for bracken control – harvesting a crop. Those involved are likely to be keen to encourage bracken growth so that there is more to cut.

    Although approval to use asulam in 2022, in the form of Asulox, was not given until 21st June, an aerial control programme has been completed in northern England and Scotland. Skyhook was the only contractor able to operate this year, and while the area treated is not as extensive as it could be, it is a very creditable performance from a late, standing start.

    Ground-based pesticide treatment has also taken place. All those who have applied Asulox this year, have been asked to provide details so that the information can be used to support further applications. If details have not yet been provided, please could a form be completed as soon as possible; for details see the Asulam page of the website.

    The BCG’s application for an emergency authorisation (EA) for this year included a request that any approval should be given for a longer duration than one-season. This would help to reduce the uncertainty and avoid the brinkmanship that surrounds the EA approval process. It was argued that this does help anyone and restricts the number of bracken control programmes that are started or continued and the amount of investment in research and application techniques that aim to make sure that the application of pesticides is carried out safely and effectively.

    In August, Defra hosted a meeting for representatives of all the UK governments, which the BCG attended. The formal response to the issues that were raised during the meeting is awaited, but in summary: currently, the annual emergency authorisation process is the only way to secure the use of Asulox, and consideration will be given to carrying out a review of all bracken control issues throughout the UK, with a view to producing a bracken control strategy / framework. If such a review is carried out, it will take many months to provide any results. Therefore, work has started to draft an EA application for the 2023 season, with the aim of submitting this on 31st October.

    In addition to the well-rehearsed arguments that have been covered previously, three important statements will be included to support the application:
    • UPL, the manufacturers of Asulox, in addition to confirming their continuing support for the product, will provide a position statement that refers to a research programme that they are initiating.
    • The UK Health Security Agency will highlight their concerns about the spread of tick-borne diseases - the association with bracken beds can be shown.
    • A study led by Brazil researchers about the potential links between bracken exudates, principally ptaquiloside, and cancer (through water supplies) is due to be published early next year. 22 authors, including three from the UK, have contributed to the study, and a summary of the paper has been offered.

    A meeting of the BCG Sector Representatives is planned for Tuesday, 25th October. The aim is to circulate a draft of the EA application for approval during the meeting. The application will then be finalised and submitted on 31st October. A list of the Sector Representatives is on the website, and they will be sent an invitation to the meeting. If anyone else has any points to raise, please submit them before the meeting.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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