Bracken presence and management practices on Scottish grassland farms - 2025

Introduction

The Scottish Government is responsible for the post-approval surveillance of pesticide use in Scotland. This is conducted by the Pesticide Survey Unit at SASA, a division of the Scottish Government’s Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate.

As part of this data collection series, a survey of the pesticides used on Scottish grassland and fodder crops in 2025 was conducted during 2026. The grassland and fodder crop survey collects data primarily from livestock and mixed farms, many of which are in upland areas. Of the range of surveys conducted by the pesticide survey unit, most of which focus on agricultural and horticultural crops, this survey is most likely to include agricultural holdings that have bracken on their land.

In 2026, a questionnaire about bracken presence and management practices was included with the postal survey collecting data on pesticide use on grassland crops. This is the first survey of its kind carried out in Scotland and was designed to inform the Scottish Government about bracken distribution and management practices in agricultural grassland settings.

Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) is a native fern and a natural component of a range of natural and semi-natural environments; particularly woodland where the shade of trees typically suppresses its growth. It’s recognized that a mosaic habitat, where bracken is interspersed with other vegetation, can provide biodiversity benefits. Outside of woodland settings, bracken is competitive and can form dense stands and become the dominant vegetation type over large areas. In this scenario, bracken can have a detrimental impact on biodiversity, agricultural productivity, protection of historic monuments and land access as well as posing a potential risk to human and animal health (although direct toxicity from bracken, and indirect risk posed by tick harborage in comparison to other vegetation types, is less clearly evidenced than the other impacts) ^{[1] [2]}.

Bracken was historically managed by cutting for animal bedding and other agricultural uses; however, harvesting is no longer commonplace, and mechanical management is restricted to those areas accessible to machinery. For several decades the herbicide product Asulox (containing the active substance asulam) was used to treat bracken. Asulox was particularly relied upon for treatment of dense bracken stands on steep ground, where access for machinery was not possible, as it was authorised for aerial application by helicopter.

Asulam approval was withdrawn in 2012, and its use in subsequent years was dependent on repeated annual applications for emergency authorisation to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE, the UK’s pesticide regulator). Emergency authorisations for use of unapproved products can be granted for limited and controlled use in special circumstances where a pesticide’s use is necessary because of a danger that cannot be contained by other reasonable means ^[3]. In 2023, HSE did not approve the emergency authorisation application after identifying risks that outweighed the benefits of the proposed use. No further UK applications have been made for asulam approval or Asulox authorisation since 2023.

Following the loss of Asulox as a bracken management option the Scottish Government set up the Scottish Bracken Working Group ^[4] to provide a forum for engagement and knowledge exchange with stakeholders and to identify and address key evidence gaps. The publication of this survey is designed to support these aims.

An Official Statistics in Development Publication for Scotland

These statistics are official statistics in development. Official statistics in development may be new or existing statistics, and will be tested with users, in line with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

Scottish Government statistics are regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

More information about Scottish Government statistics is available on the Scottish Government website.