Loss of bracken herbicide prompts biodiversity alert
Scottish farmers have warned of a “threat to biodiversity” after a manufacturer ceased production of the only herbicide that controls bracken.
UPL, the manufacturer of Asulox, said that it had “ended work on a permanent solution that would support the continued use” of the herbicide.
Asulox is used to control bracken, an invasive fern that can pose a threat to biodiversity, drinking water, agriculture, animal welfare and public health.
Bracken can harbour ticks, which spread the debilitating bacterial infection Lyme disease, an illness that can cause headaches and fatigue and, if left untreated, can spread to joints, the heart and nervous system.
Asulox is prohibited in Europe but has been used regularly in Scotland for more than a decade.
For the past ten years,
