An alternative to a herbicide previously used to control Scotland’s ever-growing bracken issue must be found, with newly-released guidance only “a step along the road,” a control advisor has said. The call comes about a year on from when Asulox, which was sprayed from helicopters to control the invasive weed in inaccessible areas, was banned by the Scottish Government on the grounds the risks to the environment and human health did not outweigh the benefits. Wales has also banned the chemical, which is still usable in England.
Advertisement Advertisement Sign up to our daily newsletter , get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Bracken harbours ticks, which can spread tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease and Louping ill. Farmers and land managers have also previously said areas where the weed grows causes a wasteland and creates fuel load for wildfires.
Simon Thorp, of the Bracken Control Group, said he welcomed the best practice guidance on bracken management, published by NatureScot, which covers many aspects of bracken control using physical control techniques. But he said hand pulling and cutting tops off the plant “is pretty small scale” in areas where there are vast amounts of bracken. Mr Thorp said: “This .