Asulox may be out, but we can't ignore the problem it was used for in the first place - Katharine Hay

Asulox is not a word you regularly hear in political debates.

The pesticide hit the headlines earlier this year as it proved to be yet another issue UK countries felt divided over.

The chemical had been used for decades to target areas, particularly farmland, where there is a concerning amount of bracken. The invasive, fast-growing weed, harbours ticks during the warmer months.

Farmers have noticed a rise in the number of these parasitic arachnids and the tick-borne illnesses that come with them, such as Louping ill and Lyme disease.

Farmers and crofters are concerned about there being no alternative to control bracken after Asulox use was banned in Scotland (pic: Victoria Jones)

Normally Asulox is spread using helicopters which target specific areas such as hillside farmland, which other vehicles cannot reach, or areas that are too dangerous to carry out other methods such as trampling or cutting.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) this year, however, advised all four nations not to authorise the use of the chemical because of the risks it poses to human, animal and environmental health. The HSE said it does not consider the benefit of addressing the danger of bracken outweighs the potential for harm.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland went ahead with banning it. Only England has allowed the use of Asulox to continue under emergency authorisation.

It was a victory for health and the environment in many ways because with the ban came the removal of side effects from the chemical on humans and the birds and the bees around us.

But it has also led to more anxiety over human and animal health given no viable alternative has been established to tackle the tick problem.

The manufacturer of Asulox, UPL Ltd, announced this week that it is officially withdrawing from working on a permanent solution that would support the use of the pesticide at some point in the future.

This has been “a hammer blow for farmers and crofters in Scotland”, said MSP Rachael Hamilton, and “an increase risk of being bitten by ticks”.

Earlier this year The Scotsman saw photos sent in from farmers of their livestock covered in ticks. We also interviewed people living with Lyme disease who described the condition north of the border as “a hidden epidemic”.

The Scottish Government may have addressed some health and environment concerns by banning Asulox, but it cannot ignore the problems the chemical was used to address in the first place.

Ministers must work with rural communities to come up with a strategic plan to address the bracken issue in the long term. If not, there could be devastating consequences for human and animal health.