The Rumex brand was established in 2020 by cousins Michael Their and Thomas Ullrich, who set out to tackle a specific challenge faced by Bavarian farmers. In Bavaria broadcast spraying of dock plants in grassland is banned and farmers are forced to rely on backpack spraying, a costly and labour intensive operation.

By developing a spot sprayer which utilises artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and precisely target weeds, Rumex enabled these farmers to significantly reduce their imput costs.

The focus on dock leaves gave rise to the name Rumex, which is the scientific genus for dock plants. Since then, the AI camera guidance has been further developed for a number of high value crops including; onion, carrot, sugar beet, chicory and spinach.

Spot spraying offers two major benefits compared to broadcast spraying; reduced overall chemical use and reduction of the “crop check” effect. Precise targeting of weeds reduces the overall chemical use by up to 94%, lowering input costs and benefiting the environment. By only targeting the weeds the cash crop is not “checked” by the broadcast chemicals. As a result, the crop doesn’t expend valuable energy detoxifying the herbicides leading to increased yield and an earlier harvest.

In May 2026, OPICO Ltd became the official importer and distributor of Rumex spot sprayers. Offering technical support over-the-phone and through a team of field-based technicians. Genuine Rumex parts will be available through OPICO’s online ordering platform my.opico.co.uk/s/rumex