United Utilities has joined forces with The Welsh Dee Trust to offer free weed wiper hire to farmers in the River Dee catchment, enabling them to save money, cut down on herbicide use and help the environment.

The water company is making eight 2.5m ATV trailed Logic & Blaney magic eye weed wipers and one Logic 6m tractor mounted weed wiper available for farmers to use.

A spokesperson for United Utilities said:

“Weeds are a real problem for many farmers and growers. The practice of weed wiping is growing each year as a more efficient alternative method of weed control. The brush mechanism of the weed wiper targets the weeds directly while leaving the valuable underlying crop unaffected.  As there is no spray the risk of drift is eliminated so that wipers can be used in much windier conditions than conventional sprayers which considerably increases opportunities for weed control.”

With a properly adjusted weed wiper, herbicide is only applied to the weeds, saving money as less of the herbicide is required for the process.  Weed wipers can be used on grass, cereal, root and horticultural crops to get rid of a variety of weeds including rush, thistles, docks, nettles and volunteer weeds. The combination of no spray and less chemical makes it a safer method of weed control for both the user and the wider environment.

The utility is offering the free weed wiper hire for up to three days to apply the herbicide, glyphosate.