'Alarming' Lyme disease rise sparks demands for Asulox alternatives to deal with bracken in Scotland

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.

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 is no minor issue. Bracken control has always been parked as a minor issue, but we really need to bring it to the centre. We have an issue here. The tick-borne disease threat in humans, livestock and wildlife is underestimated.”

Mr Thorp said areas of Scotland where there were vast amounts of bracken was often beyond the reach of tractors, machinery and robo-cutters.

“Bracken is notoriously hard to manage, and it’s going to be a real challenge with just physical alternatives,” he said.

“We need to keep an open mind, and we need to make sure people realise we haven’t solved the problem just because we can do some hand whipping. It’s about scale and effectiveness.”

Mr Thorp, who helped contribute to the guidance, said he wanted to hear more from landowners and managers on what their real-life experience is when it comes to managing land where the weed grows and the impact it has.

“Hearing these personal experiences is really what’s going to sway regulators,” he said.

Brian Walker, who farms a 2,500-acre hill farm near Inveraray on the west coast, has previously spoken to The Scotsman about the increase in ticks on his livestock and how bracken thickets have grown to the point where he cannot see his sheep.

Elsewhere, farmers are looking to alternative methods, using hardy cattle, including Belted Galloways and Luing, to trample bracken in an attempt to control it.

Mr Thorp said results from trials using herbicides of weaker strength were showing “early promise”. But he warned “there are many alarming research gaps.”

“We need to plug a research into potential other herbicides,” he said. “Tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease is certainly becoming more prevalent.

“But there are also a lot of other prevalent diseases that are hard to spot because they are relatively rare. Research is underfunded, and there is a lack of awareness, and that needs to change.”