Stop the Rush

Rushes are common feature on many farms throughout Northern Ireland and are commonly found in damp ground conditions associated with heavy clay soils.

Small areas of rush can favour many ground nesting birds such as the curlew and the snipe. They also provide cover for the Irish hare and many small birds such as the meadow pipit. Heavy infestations, however, have an adverse impact on both the grazing value and the diverse range of plants found in the sward. Farmers participating in an agri-environment scheme must carry out rush control where the rush cover  is more than a third of a field. Rushes should also be controlled to prevent them dominating the vegetation. If rushes are not controlled and are not capable of being grazed this may be regarded as a breach of Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC). This undergrazing may have implications for Single Farm Payment and other direct payments.

Rush control can be carried out in a variety of ways. The main ones include topping and weed wiping. With the exception of improved grassland, participants in an agri-environment scheme should only control rushes from 15 July – 15 March each year in order to protect the chicks of ground nesting birds and the off spring of the Irish hare.

Topping has been the traditional method of rush control on many farms and when rushes are frequently topped they are more palatable for livestock. However due to recent mild winters and wet summers many farmers have found it difficult to access land where they are growing and consequently rush cover has increased.  

Weed wiping is a more modern method of rush control where a herbicide such as Glyphosate is applied directly to the rush. The rushes should firstly be topped when ground conditions and dates are suitable and herbicide applied to the young regrowth. The addition of a wetting agent to the herbicide will enable the liquid to stick to the waxy leaf resulting in a better kill rate. Many farmers are now using ATV’s to operate weed wipers which can be very useful where ground conditions are unsuitable for larger machinery. Weed wiping, however, is not permitted on species rich grassland, semi-natural grassland or breeding wader / lapwing sites.

For more information about rush control or other aspects of countryside management, please contact you local DARD Direct office. Staff members from your local DARD Countryside Management Delivery Branch will be available on the DARD stand at the Fermanagh County Show.

Trim rush now to control growth