Hi David, welcome to G O Y,it's not a good idea to use fresh prunings as a mulch, as they would take a lot of nitrogen from the soil, it's far better to make a compost heap with them and leave them to rot for at least a year, 2 years if possible, and add some nitrogen phosphate, if you can get hold of any, if not a high nitrogen fertilizer will do, then you can use the compost as a mulch, Derek.

Thanks - I was mainly concerned that the natural resins may be harmful to some of my vegetables and fruit bushes.
However, I will put them all through my shredder (or lawn mower) first and then put them in my brick built compost bin with alternating layers of old compost, lots of urea and nitrogenous fertiliser and a sprinkling of agricultural lime and keep it all warm - this seems to work with the masses of beech leaves that I get each year which I can incorporate the lower levels into my main compost bins after 6 months.
Thanks again