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Conservation headlands and reduced herbicide options


ELS & Campaign for Farmed Environment, (CFE)

With increasing pressure for farmers to undertake voluntary environmental measures to stave off the threat of compulsory set-aside, remember Monitor can be used as a selective herbicide under several ELS and CFE options:

· With agreement from Natural England on Conservation headland options EF9, EF10 and on low input herbicide option EF15. Sulfosulfuron is on the B list of herbicides agreed by the GWCT.

· With the voluntary CFE option C14, (Selective use of spring herbicides), Monitor can be used as a single spring herbicide on headlands or whole fields where the weed spectrum is suitable.
Conservation headlands and low input herbicide options are designed so that careful use of sprays allows populations of broad-leaved weeds and their associated insects to develop. This provides feeding habitat for several farmland birds, such as the grey partridge, tree sparrow and corn bunting. Rare arable plant communities will also benefit. Conservation headlands can be difficult to manage where grass weeds are a problem, particularly where herbicide resistance has been recorded.
  • ELS Conservation headlands can be 6 to 24m wide along the edge of a cereal crop.
  • C14 selective herbicide options can be on headlands only or on whole fields.
  • No insecticide is allowed between 15th March and the following harvest.
  • The following herbicides from the Game Conservancy Trust A list can be applied to control problem grass and broad-leaved weeds without permission from Natural England:
    • For broad-leaved weeds amidosulfuron between 1 February and 31 March.
    • For grass-weeds: tri-allate, fenoxaprop-P-ethyl, dicloflop-methyl+fenoxaprop-P-ethyl, tralkoxydim or clodinafop-propargyl.
  • Monitor is on the Game Conservancy Trust B list. This means it can be used with permission from Natural England for ELS statutory schemes. Permission is not required for CFE options but the decision to use a selective herbicide should be documented and available for inspection. 
     
Monitor takes out competitive grass and broad-leaved weeds like Brome, Rough-stalked meadow grass, Cleavers and Mayweed, but it leaves some desirable species like Polygonums, Fat Hen, Speedwells, Field Pansy, Annual Meadow-grass, Red-dead Nettle and other seed-bearing species.