Sugar beet herbicides from UPL will be packaged compatible with the EasyConnect closed transfer system this spring, marking a shift towards wider adoption of the technology.
The crop protection manufacturer will introduce EasyConnect-compatible cans across its metamitron, phenmedipham and ethofumesate products, with further formulations expected to follow, says UPL head of business development James Kennedy.
Investment
“The investment is being put into our European factories to enable this. In the UK, we wanted to begin with sugar beet herbicides because having the factory on our doorstep helps us to coordinate the rollout closely.”
The firm plans to extend closed transfer compatibility to co-formulated products such as Volcano (ethofumesate + metamitron). The move aims to break what Mr Kennedy describes as a stalemate between product availability and farm investment.
“It is a chicken and egg scenario. Farmers won’t embrace the sprayer adaptation without the products – and manufacturers might not produce the products for Easyconnect if few sprayers are equipped.
EasyConnect reduces operator exposure by about 95%, lowers the contamination risk and cuts filling time. Some non-compatible stock will remain in circulation this season. New production will carry EasyConnect-branded tape for identification.