EU to kill off English willow industry

[mas cambios]

EU to kill off English willow industry

Ok, to start with this from the Daily Fail - a bit a joke newspaper with their scaremongering and hatred of anything from outside the UK. I've tried to find another source but am drawing a blank at the moment.

The story goes as this:

The EU has banned the use of methyl bromide, a chemical which is used to treat English willow before it is exported to India. Basically, it's an insecticide - used because it is one of the few things that doesn't damage the wood.

India will not accept untreated bats so it means one of two things: either bats from English willow become very, very expensive as they will all be made in the UK or, save from the odd few (international players) everyone will have to use a Kashmir bat.

Now, I'm sure there are alternative but the Daily Fail likes to report the worst case scenario. Bats are still made in this country, so it could have the effect of revitalising the business as it's the only way bats of this type will continue to exist.

Also, it fails to mention that although the bulk of English willow is from Essex, it is grown (in small quantities) elsewhere.

Not quite what to think at the moment - anyone got anything to add?

 

[a for effort]

Re: EU to kill off English willow industry

Haha look at the proles in the comment section. Every single post is a nationalist anti-EU rant. Or should I say, 'anti-EUSSR'

These people are the reason the BNP won 6% of the national vote in the last European Election.

As for the bats, I dunno, can't they just use a different insecticide?

 

[lewissaffin]

Re: EU to kill off English willow industry

Idiotic paper for morons and generally braindead people. That probably goes to explain why my dad buys it :/

As for the substance, generally there is always an alternative.

 

[Boris]

Re: EU to kill off English willow industry

Is English Willow so special because of the area it is grown in?

Just thought that since Australia has pretty much every climate known to man surely there's a place to grow them over here?

I'm not believing it until an article like this pops up elsewhere.

 

[brickwaller99]

Re: EU to kill off English willow industry

I'm not too good on english geography so i might sound stupid. Which other crops are grown in the area? i know many english crops are grown better in tasmania than in england. Hops for example, but it may be a slightly different climate. However, Tasmania varies a lot (rainfall can change 50 inches in 15km)
and has a lot of spare farming/forestry land which was used for hops/apples and other things which are no longer profitable.

It's possible that methyl bromide is the best for the english willow because it does not change the chemical properties of the wood as others would. Personally i think the easiest way would be to dry it then freeze it to very low temperatures or keep it in a vacuum so no insecticide is needed. Sure it's uses a bit more energy but nowhere near as much as the embedded energy in most insecticides.