UPDATE RELATED TO EMERGENCY AUTHORISATION FOR APPLICATION OF ASULAM FOR BRACKEN TREATMENT

Following the ending of the approval to use Asulam for bracken control on 31 December 2012, temporary annual arrangements have been put in place to allow the use of Asulam to continue. Approval is subject to the terms set out in an Emergency Authorisation (EA), granted by the Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD) of the Health & Safety Executive.

An Emergency Authorisation has been issued allowing Asulam products to be used in 2022, so anyone planning to undertake work must study the approval document carefully.

Key points to note:

• Application is authorised from 1st July.
• To minimise interaction with breeding birds, where feasible, application should take place after 1st August, or as late in July as possible.
• Aerial application has been authorised subject to an aerial spraying permit being obtained: the regulator will provide template application forms.
• Ground-based application is authorised but restricted to areas included in a Bracken Control Plan in AECS, or to areas on designated sites where NatureScot has consented to the work. Full details are in the Authorisation document.
• There is no change to the no-spray buffer zones included in previous authorisations, which includes leaving a 90m buffer zone adjacent to surface water bodies.
• Livestock must be removed from areas to be treated and must not be allowed to return until at least 1 month after treatment.
• The EA period will end on 12th September for placing Asulox on the market and for use – no spraying is to take place after this date.
• Returns of unopened containers will be accepted by distributors; it will be illegal to hold stocks of Asulox after 28th October.
• The EA period will end on 29th October 2022 for storage and disposal of stocks.

Further information is available on the Bracken Control Group website, which provides updates, guidance and also lists bracken control contractors. Should you wish to be kept up-to-date with news regarding bracken control and future EA’s, there is a Bracken Control Group newsletter you can sign up to at: https://www.brackencontrol.co.uk/news

Requirement to complete an Asulam Application Record                                                    

The EA approval document contains data and information requirements that must be submitted to the regulator, CRD of the HSE. UPL, who manufacture Asulam, will be distributing information with the product. There is information on the Asulam application record.

A form MUST be completed for every site where bracken control with Asulam is undertaken this year. There are several ways to complete the form:

• Use the online form. A link is at the bottom of this webpage: https://www.brackencontrol.co.uk/asulam  This is the preferred method to provide the information, as it is loaded straight into a spreadsheet
• Alternatively a word version can be completed on a PC / Mac computer (but not on a tablet) and returned as an e-mail attachment to info@brackencontrol.co.uk

The support of everyone who applies Asulam to provide this information is essential. The provision of this information to CRD is a prerequisite to securing the future use of Asulam for bracken control.