diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index 2b802af..09527cd 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -11,8 +11,6 @@
 - Changed `install_asreml()` to check if there is a later version before downloading.
 - Enabled non-standard evaluation input of column names in `autoplot.design()`.
 
-## Bug fixes
-
 
 # biometryassist 1.1.3
 
diff --git a/R/install_asreml.R b/R/install_asreml.R
index 43282a1..ae9ed4a 100644
--- a/R/install_asreml.R
+++ b/R/install_asreml.R
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ install_asreml <- function(library = .libPaths()[1], quiet = FALSE, force = FALS
 
         # If forcing installation, remove existing version to avoid errors on installation
         if(force && rlang::is_installed("asreml") && os_ver$os != "linux") {
+            unloadNamespace("asreml")
             if("asreml" %in% .packages()) {
                 detach("package:asreml", unload = TRUE, force = TRUE)
             }