Written question asked by Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 8 October 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 10 October 2024. It was answered by Emma Hardy (Labour) on Tuesday, 15 October 2024 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Weedkillers: Licensing

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will restore the license for ASOLUX; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the restoration of that license on the growth of bracken in (a) the Quantocks and (b) Exmoor within the Tiverton and Minehead Constituency.

Answer: Asulox is a herbicide containing the active substance asulam, which is not approved for use in the UK. For some years, use of Asulox to control bracken has been allowed under strictly controlled conditions under emergency authorisation arrangements. In 2023 the company behind asulam decided to cease supporting further applications for emergency authorisation and has not applied for UK approval of asulam. There are therefore no plans to restore the licence for Asulox or assess the potential impact of its restoration.

Secondary information