Rescue product registration update

Rescue is currently approved for use in the UK and Ireland, however it will lose its approval for sale this month. The industry will then enter into a 12-month use up period for end users.

The authorisation of Rescue for the UK and Republic of Ireland ends as follows;

30 June 2018 - Final sales and distribution of existing stocks

30 June 2019 - Completion of storage, use or disposal of existing stocks

This means that end-user customers have until 30 June 2018 to purchase and receive delivery of Rescue into their stores, and that the product must then be used by 30 June 2019.

The current formulation of Rescue is being withdrawn, as part of the EU Regulatory review process – and will not be available again in the future. Any reformulation that may be possible to manufacture a replacement product approved for amenity use is a long and extremely complicated process – both chemically and legislatively.

Even if this were to be deemed feasible by Syngenta R&D chemists, the timescale would be in the region of four to five years, at the earliest.  

Whilst Rescue has proven extremely effective in its designed purpose, of removing coarse grasses from fine turf surfaces and rough, it has been an almost uniquely UK product and any new development, if it were to happen, could only be viewed as a long-term possibility.

The reality is that UK courses have until the end of June this year to buy any Rescue and one year to use stocks, which would typically enable two to three hits on invasive coarse grasses – this year and next.