Does anybody have any information on these new rules for agrichemical purchases due to come into force 26th Nov.

I asked the self same question in the garden section. My only info is you will need a card to obtain chemicals which you get by going on a course! Still can't find any further details

No mention was made of an exam at my agri place, just a form to fill out at the agri college and fifteen euro fee. They believe it's a revenue earner. There might be an element of security to it too with all the fertilisers too. For what it's worth eu rules state you can ask for the exam in whatever language you wish.
Bruixot

Yes, there will be a exam on the course material. Apparently it will not be too hard. The course is in Spanish.

Forgot to mention, to take the course will cost 60 Euro.

Better still - save yourself some money and don't use 'em.

Better for you and the land. And stay away from glyphosate.

Rant over.

So how you gonna keep the weeds down without glyphosate ?

Hi Bigyin

I strim 'em - 2.5ha

Takes a while, but it's good exercise, and you really do not want to be using glyphosate.

That's what chickens are for !!!

All great in theory, but when the weather turns and you see next years income curling up with leaf curl and the answer is in a bottle, and chickens and strimmers will not help what else to do ?.

Hi Chris.
I've got 4 hectares so I consider strimming all of it a non starter.
As the new rules apparently don't apply until 26/11, my solution is to get a few 5 litre jugs in which will last a few years.
Just for the hell of it, why don't we fire up a discussion on the pros and cons of glyphosate ?  Many heated discussions already out there on the net but I'm not convinced on the con argument.  Sure, you wouldn't want to drink the stuff or be breathing in the spray but according to the manufacturers, it becomes inert on contact with the ground.  The arguments regarding resistant seed is a whole different subject and not relevant to the likes of us finca maintainers ?

Hi there

4 hectares hmmm.... if I had 4 hectares, I would consider dragging the land clean with a tractor. This is what my neighbour does and he has about that much.

I have two main reasons why I prefer not to use weedkiller:

Numero uno: Being a permaculture sort of chàp, I prefer to let the land do the work rather than me! I do not mind the weeds, and I merely run round my finca with a strimmer and a lawnmover (seriously) once in a while, and certainly just before olive harvest.
I still manage to harvest plenty of olives, and it costs me very little.
In the meantime, when we get the heavy (but infrquent) rains, because of the 'stubble', the rain soaks directly into the ground rather than running off. Furthermore, the quasi-mulch that is created by said strimming actually benefits the soil.
I am sure that this lowers my potential olive harvest, but it costs almost nothing in comparison to another neighbour who generally gets his sprayer out at least five times a year.

My second reason: I believe that stuff like glyphosate is not good to have on your land.
A recent WHO report has recent stated that "Glyphosate Herbicides Probably Cause Cancer" and furthermore, it appears that it does break down as advertised as traces are found in groundwater, food, and even the atmosphere.

There is a good link here - http://gmo-awareness.com/resources/glyphosate/ - which outlines some pretty horrible effects.

Me, I just prefer not to have the stuff any where near my olives.

In answer to Smidge - leaf curl - I do not get much of it. I prune the trees lightly and allow air to get in. I have had almost no 'repilo' over the last few years, and I put this down to the fact that I allow the trees to get stronger and fight off these ailments themselves.

My 'spraying' neighbour actually commented on the lack of repilo on my trees this year and could not believe that I did not spray.

Not saying I am great ;) but applying a spray to counteract something like this does not make sense to me. I understand your point about income 'tho, and it is difficult to strike a balance.

BTW - we have goats, and they are completely useless as weed-eaters, they just munch on a bit of this, and a bit of that.

All points well made !!
My 4 hectares are on four levels of about a hectare each.  I only manage the top level where the house and "garden" are.  I planted olives behind the house seven years ago merely as a reason to keep the land maintained.
I got a guy with a tractor and flail mower to clear the bottom level and it looked very smart.  Three months later it was back in it's original state.
I can't see how the weed "mulch" would affect your olive harvest.  If anything it would help to retain any available moisture.
I thought leaf curl could be controlled with bordeaux mixture which it's fairly innocuous ?

Once you have this card it only lasts two years according to the Catalan news.Small amounts can still be purchased without the card

So essentially another bunch of EU know nothings trying to justify their salaries and expenses.

As I understand it, Bordeaux mixture is one of the few treatments available to organic farmers and can be used without using their organic status.

So innocuous sounds about right.