United Oilseeds, the UK’s only specialist oilseed rape marketing company, is to exclusively market and distribute a pesticide-free and seed-applied slug repellent called “RAPPEL Bio^®” in the UK.

The national independent co-operative has signed a partnership deal with New Zealand-based crop and pasture company, H&T Agronomics, which specialises in new and unique seed and crop management technology.

RAPPEL Bio^® comes from H&T’s OptiTech^® seed technology research and development programme.  OptiTech^® was first conceived in 2014 to create unique seed enhancements.

The RAPPEL Bio^® seed treatment offers growers a completely new mode of action against slugs, which are a major establishment pest in the UK and other countries.  The advantages RAPPEL Bio^® offers to growers include the potential to reduce chemical use and the application of broadcast baits and to improve plant establishment.

The product has undergone a stringent product development and testing in New Zealand since 2014. H&T has also monitored the results of a successful pre-commercial release on various crops in spring 2017.

“As a co-operative, United Oilseeds has an established track record of product innovation and introducing new market opportunities for its 4,500 farmer members,” says Chris Baldwin, United Oilseeds Managing Director. “We are running professional and comprehensive trials with RAPPEL Bio^® in the UK this year and we aim to bring it to market during 2019.”

“RAPPEL Bio^®” is an exciting new product and we believe its benefits and environmentally friendly formulation mean it has a huge potential for the UK market. We are delighted to be exclusively marketing this product in partnership with H&T and we hope it will prove of great benefit to UK growers” he continued.

H&T Managing Director Paul Oliver said: “We are delighted to see RAPPEL Bio^® commercialised by such a well-respected company as United Oilseeds, which commands a 25% share of the UK’s oilseed rapeseed market and also trades over 444,000 tonnes of the UK’s OSR crop annually.  In addition, United Oilseeds has an impressive forage and pasture seed business.”