With the withdrawal of Rescue from the market next month, Syngenta Business Manager, Daniel Lightfoot, explained why there is no replacement on the horizon - and why greenkeepers should take the last opportunity to get on top of coarse grass weed control:

The current formulation of Rescue is being withdrawn, as part of the EU Regulatory review process – and will not be available again in the future.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.