Protein from gorse bushes could feed millions of people, says expert

Invasive prickly plant is widely cleared in Scotland and has been used as animal fodder in the past

The gorse bushes that have invaded many Scottish landscapes could produce enough protein to feed millions of people, according to the leader of a Scottish government research programme.

The surprising suggestion by Prof Wendy Russell, at the University of Aberdeen, comes from research on the protein content of invasive plants that have to be doused with herbicides or burned back to keep them under control.