Government must help stop spread of bracken

The spread of bracken has got to be stopped. That will be the message from Liberal Democrat peer Lord Tony Greaves to the Government at Question Time in the House of Lords on Monday 5 December. Lord Greaves will ask the government "what steps they are taking to stop the spread of bracken on mountains, moorland, heaths and commons".

Speaking ahead of Question Time, Lord Greaves, a Liberal Democrat environment spokesman in the Lords, said:

"I shall ask the government whether they agree that bracken is now a major problem, particularly in the upland areas such as the Lake District and the Pennine moors and many other areas of open country.

"I shall also ask the Government to take a lead in giving advice and help to everyone faced with this problem.

"In many areas bracken is spreading like wildfire. It's a real problem for landowners, farmers, animal welfare bodies, nature conservation groups, walkers, climbers, and archaeologists.

"There are no easy answers to this problem but there is a real need for experiments and advice for everyone concerned about our wonderful areas of open country which are so important to the whole rural tourism industry."