The Chemicals Regulation Directorate issued a Notice of Authorisation on 12 May 2015 and this came into effect on 18 May 2015. The Notice authorises the use of asulam in the form Asulox to control bracken from 1 July 2015 until 14 September 2015.
There will be a further use-up period until 31 October 2015 that will permit the storage, disposal and use of stocks. Note that during this period, the sale and distribution of stocks will not be permitted. From 1 November 2015, it will be illegal to apply or store asulam.
Arrangements for the 2015 season
The Covering Letter and the Emergency Authorisation can be downloaded and contain the terms and conditions of use that will be included in the pesticides label that will be issued with the product.
To suit the needs of different users, Asulox will be available in a range of containers: 5, 20 and 1000 litres.
UPL has agreed to the return of any sealed containers that are not used by the end of the season. All stocks must be applied to the land, returned through distributors or destroyed, by 31 October 2015.
The Permit System - Guidance: All aerial spraying must be carried out under a permit issued by the Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD). A summary of the guidance issued by CRD to the permit system and how to apply for a permit can be downloaded. The CRD website has full details.
Background
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 for bracken control to continue. Approval has been subject to the terms set out in Emergency Authorisations granted by the Chemicals Regulation Directorate of the Health & Safety Executive (CRD).
The continued availability of Asulam cannot be guaranteed, but the Bracken Control Group is working with all parts of the bracken control community to promote the value of Asulam for the control of this invasive species.
Asulam offers selective control of bracken and it has approval for aerial application. These characteristics are unique to Asulam, which makes its use for bracken control very important. Additional justification was submitted as part of the application for an Emergency Authorisation in 2015 - see the Supporting Information on the Documents page.
The support being provided by CRD, which is the relevant agency for the whole UK, is very gratefully acknowledged.
Medium Term Availability
- If application of Asulam is to continue without a break, applications for Emergency Authorisations will need to be submitted by the Bracken Control Group, each year until registration of the product is achieved.
- The current EU regulations set no limit on the number of successive Emergency Authorisations that can be applied for. However, it is important that all reasonable steps are being taken to secure a permanent solution.
Long Term Availability
- The owners of Asulam, UPL Europe Ltd (UPL), have applied for the re-registration of Asulam in the EU for bracken control. This is an expensive process and requires an investment of many £100,000s.
- The re-registration process takes a long time and the result of the application is not expected before December 2016; it may take longer than this to reach a decision, if addtional information is requested.
For more information visit the Bracken Control Asulam webpage