Dogs detecting Japanese knotweed

In Ireland, Japanese knotweed is the uninvited guest that never leaves.

It creeps in quietly, thrives in the wet and before long it’s spreading faster than a rumour at the mart.

By the time it’s spotted, the roots have travelled, the damage is done and the cost is anything but small.

CDI Olfacta has flipped the script by sending in the dogs, not for rounding up the cattle but for sniffing out trouble underground. Before a suspicious leaf is even seen, they’ve already detected it.

In a country where Japanese knotweed feels right at home, a good nose might just be your best line of defence.