An application for the re-licencing of Asulam, the active ingredient in bracken control herbicide Asulox, has been approved for the 2021 season.

Since 2013, Asulam has been available in the UK on an emergency licence which is reviewed annually by the Health and Safety Executive and Defra.

Approval for the 2021 season was granted last week and the herbicide can be applied from 1 July to 13 September.

All leftover stocks of Asulam must be disposed of by 31 October.

However, similar to last year, Asulam can only be used in handheld or tractor-mounted sprayers if the land is under a conservation agreement. In NI, land needs to be part of the Environmental Farming Scheme for ground-based application of Asulam, otherwise you must seek permission from the NI Environment Agency.

Aerial application through the likes of helicopter sprayers is permitted on land that is not under conservation management, although this method of spraying is not common in NI.

Users of Asulam are also asked to fill out a form which will be used to support future re-licencing applications.