Moorland managers invited to trial garlic-based grouse grit

Moorland owners, managers, agents and gamekeepers are being invited to take part in trials of a new garlic-based grouse grit, after an encouraging pilot on Scottish grouse moors. The invitation, shared by the Moorland Association on Thursday, 29 October, comes from Ecospray and livestock nutrition specialists Denis Brinicombe, who developed the grit together.

What is the garlic grit made from?

The grit incorporates only natural ingredients derived primarily from garlic, built on Ecospray’s patented garlic polysulfide technology. That technology is already in use as an authorised and registered agricultural crop-protection bio-pesticide, and Denis Brinicombe has used Ecospray’s garlic active ingredient in its livestock feed products for several years. Ecospray was founded by Hugh van Cutsem in 1998.

Grit is part of the furniture of every managed moor, taken by red grouse to grind heather in the gizzard, and medicated grit is the established tool for controlling the parasitic worms behind population crashes. An alternative built on natural ingredients would be a significant change to that routine, which is why the companies want evidence gathered at scale.

What did the pilot on Scottish moors find?

An initial one-year pilot trial has already run on Scottish grouse moors, and according to the feedback received by Ecospray the early observations were encouraging, with grouse appearing to consume the garlic-based grit more readily than the medicated grit that is standard practice on many moors. Those preliminary findings have prompted the two companies to investigate the product’s performance through larger-scale trials, gathering further evidence under practical moorland management conditions.

The Moorland Association says it welcomes opportunities for practical research and innovation that can strengthen the evidence base for sustainable moorland management, while making clear that sharing the opportunity is not an endorsement: the product’s effectiveness remains to be established through further research.

How can estates take part?

Interested estates are encouraged to contact Ecospray directly to discuss what participation would involve, including trial arrangements, monitoring requirements and the supply of grit. The contacts are Nicholas van Cutsem, commercial manager at Ecospray, and Nigel Hemphill, commercial manager at Denis Brinicombe, both reachable through their companies’ websites, linked below.

What happens next

The next stage of the trials will run on working moors, with the aim of assessing the grit’s potential applications under real management conditions. For keepers weighing it up, the practical questions, uptake, timing and what the monitoring asks of a busy season, are exactly what the trial is designed to answer, and the recruiting is open now.