Welcome
The Bracken Control Group
This Group has been established in response to the banning of Asulam, but the Group will consider all bracken control issues and techniques.
It became illegal to sell, transfer or promote Asulam products on 31 December 2011, and the use-up period ended on 31 December 2012.
It is illegal to hold any product containing asulam.
The Coordinator of the Group is Simon Thorp, the Director of The Heather Trust.
Latest updates
15 April 2013: Briefing about the terms & conditions attached to the Emergency Authorisation added to the Documents page.
The Minutes from the meeting of the Sector Representatives held in york on 26 February can also be viewed.
26 February 2013: Great news! The Emergency Authorisation application has been approved. The decision was announced at the Bracken control Group meeting in York, today. Details of restrictions and conditions will follow and will be added to this website and promulgated by Newsletter.
Summary from The Heather Trust
A full summary of the background to the formation of the Bracken Control Group and an initial indication about how it will be set up can be viewed here: HT Summary
Newsletters
Regular newsletters will be the primary means of communication with members of the Bracken Control Group. They can be viewed on the News page and there is a Sign Up option at the bottom of the e-mail to add an e-mail address to the circulation list.
Approval for aerial spraying
A briefing about the new permit system for approving aerial spraying for bracken control can be found on the News page
Representatives
The following people have volunteered to represent the interests of their sector. There are some gaps and more volunteers will be welcome, especially if you feel your interests are not being represented. Initial contact with the representatives will be through the Coordinator.
| Sector | Representatives |
| Landowners and representative organisations |
George Winn-Darley, Moorland Association (North Yorkshire) Christopher Price, Country Land & Business Association (London) Tim Baynes, Scottish Land & Estates (Edinburgh) |
| National Park |
Martin Curry (Lake District) Toby Small (Brecon Beacons) |
| Farmers and representative organisations |
Andrew Bauer, NFUS (Edinburgh) Dafydd Jarrett, NFU Cymru (Gwynedd) Rhian Nowell-Phillips, Farmers Union of Wales (Ceredigion) |
| Commoners & graziers |
John Thorley, Pastoral Alliance (Worcestershire) Arnold Lancaster, Commoner (Lake District) |
| Crofters | Alan Andrews, Crofter (Sutherland) |
| Distributors of Asulam | Graham Cranna, Agrii (Perth) |
| Bracken contractor (ground based) | Gerald Babcock (Cornwall) |
| Aerial Applicators (helicopter contractor) | Nicholas Hawkings-Byass, MFH Helicopters (London & UK) |
| Forestry |
Ian Willoughby, Forestry Commission (Surrey) Colin Palmer, Confor |
| Government Agencies |
Alastair Burn, Natural England (Peterborough)
|
| Regulation & re-registration |
Alastair Leake, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (Leicestershire) Mark Ballingall, SRUC (Perthshire) |
| Historic Environment | Sandy Gerrard (Devon) |
| Other users |
Duncan Glen, Landmarc (Wiltshire & UK) Kathrine Hearn, National Trust (Swindon + England, Wales & NI) |
| Health information |
Prof Roy Brown, International Bracken Group (North Yorks) Wendy Fox, BADA-UK (South Yorks) |
| Technical adviser | Roderick Robinson, Landward Consultancy (North Yorks) |
