5 Replies to “Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill”

  1. How much power and greed do these guys want. They have land and positions most people would die for, yet they would take everything that interferes with their idea of business.

  2. Mark, looking at the poison can on the cartoon reminds me that asulox is again being used to kill bracken. This government seems to take no notice of good advice that this chemical is dangerous. Asulox is not specific to bracken. It also kills heather, cotton grass and other plants. When used on our local NNR by back pack sprayers it drastically reduced Greater Hay Rattle, a species on the Schedule of Protected Plants of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. This species is an annual and relies on seed setting to reproduce. The contractors think that if a product is said to only kill bracken it is easier to spray everything in their path, what else has been destroyed using this chemical? It could be that in order to control bracken on grouse moors the owners are also killing the heather that the grouse feed on, reducing the number of grouse? My observations on our local NNR saw that heather and cottongrass had been eliminated in some areas following spraying with asulox.

    1. Most of my experience with Asulox is of areas where the chemical has been applied by helicopter spraying. I cant say that I have ever seen the side effects you describe…in fact I have been impressed that sensitive woodland plants like dogs mercury, bugle, wood anemone and bluebells survive. I have even seen oak fern and adders tongue doing well the year after spraying.
      It sounds like your sprayer may have had round-up or a solvent of some sort in the tank. (maybe an incorrect dilution?)

  3. Well how strange RSPB seem as if they will have nothing to do with your petition while openly campaigning by some top bods at RSPB for people to sign a petition against a drug killing Vultures.

  4. Asulox is in my experience a wonderfully selective chemical. It is also fairly expensive, therefore best sprayed on the target species. I aware it ‘checks’ certain species but not in my experience as much as 6ft or more of bracken.

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