Horse Drawn Bracken Bruising / Rolling
Barbara Haddrill of Carnog Working Horses, a member of British Horse Loggers, is based in Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant in the heart of the Tanat Valley in Powys, Wales.
The Carnog website has a page dedicated to Bracken Control and the article that can be downloaded from this page (Bracken Rolling Using Horses) is recommended reading for anyone wishing to control bracken using a horse drawn bruiser.
The British Horse Loggers website has some additional background information.
Certificates of Competence for the Application of Pesticides
On 26 November 2015, the ‘grandfathers rights’ exemption was withdrawn. This exemption allowed anyone born before 31 December 1964, to use plant protection products (PPPs) authorised for professional use on their own or their employer’s land, without having to hold a certificate (of competence) although they still had to be suitably trained and competent for their job.
All sprayer operators applying plant protection products (PPPs) authorised for professional use (pesticides) must now hold a recognised certificate of competence, whether working on their own land or when working as a contractor.
Note that it is now an offence for anyone to purchase PPPs authorised for professional use unless they ensure that the intended end user has a certificate of competence.
There is a large amount of information available (for a start see The Voluntary Initiative website), but there appear to be three options:
- Take the new Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Pesticides Replacing Grandfather Rights – allows you to apply ~PPPs on your own land;
- Take the existing Level 2 Safe Use of Pesticide (PA) Certificate, appropriate to the type of equipment you use; allows you to spray on your own land or as a contractor.
- Employ a qualified contractor for all professional pesticides applications. See the BCG list of contractors.
The use of Hand held equipment to Control Bracken using Asulam
This paper was prepared by Roderick Robinson in 2013, and it represents the summation of decades of experience in developing control techniques.
Application of Asulam by hand-held equipment
(To be noted: Asulam is no longer approved for use in the UK. The paper has been retained for reference purposes)
Build up to the decision not to re-register asulam under revised EU Regulations
The following documents relate to failure to get approval to re-register Asulam. Now Asulam has been removed, the following documents have been retained for reference purposes:
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3 November 2011 |
Letter from Richard Benyon, MP, Minister for Natural Environment and Fisheries |
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3 November 2011 |
Letter from Richard Lochhead, MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment |
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5 October 2011 |
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5 october 2011 |
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3 October 2011 |
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27 September 2011 |
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22 September 2011 |
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20 September 2011 |
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20 September 2011 |
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16 September 2011 |
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12 September 2011 |
Can pigs control bracken?
The Westmoreland Gazette published an article about miniature pigs being used to control bracken in Cumbria.