Clovermax, which is a blend of 2,4-DB and MCPA, has received emergency usage approval for a three-month period, starting from 14 May.

The sale of all 2,4-DB chemicals was prohibited since the end of October 2020, but farmers are permitted to use all products containing 2,4-DB up to the end of October 2021 if they had it in stock.

The removal of 2,4-DB products was a blow to farmers looking to incorporate clover into swards when reseeding grassland, as, without it, there is no product approved for use to kill weeds but not grass or clover.

Good news

Michael O’Donovan from Teagasc says that the approval for Clovermax is good news and that farmers should incorporate clover into the grass seed mixture when reseeding, rather than oversowing clover after establishing grass seeds, as some were planning to do.

Hilton Dagge from Nufarm, which manufactures Clovermax, says the emergency approval is good news for farmers.

“The plant in the UK is already busy manufacturing Clovermax for the Irish market and we hope to have sufficient supplies in place by the middle of May.”