Ragwort
Q What
is it?
A A yellow flowered weed which grows on pasture,
rough ground and disturbed land.
Q What
are the concerns about Ragwort?
A It is poisonous to animals that may eat it, including
horses, and can causethem illness and death.
Q Is it illegal to have Ragwort on your
land ?
A
It is one of five "injurious weeds" and
is included in the Weeds Act 1959 & Ragwort Control
Act 2003. See the link to the DEFRA web site where the
legal position is explained, and recommendations made for
its management.
(Ragwort and injurious weeds.)
Q Is it always poisonous?
A
Yes. Whether Ragwort is growing in a field, or
has been cut and left to dry, or if it becomes included in
hay, it remains poisonous.
Q What should anyone with Ragwort on
their land do about it.
A Ragwort spreads easily by windborne seeds to nearby
land, and therefore has the potential to spread, and cause illness
or death to nearby animals. It is therefore important to keep an
eye out for it during it's flowering period of June to August.
If plants are found which could spread to grazing land, it must
be eradicated.
Q What can
I do to eradicate it from my land?
A The link to the DEFRA web site above
gives advice on this. It can be dug out (it has
a tap root), pulled out when in flower, or weed killed. There
is one weed
killer (Citorella Oil) which does not come under the Pesticide Regulations,
and may be applied without the need for a Pesticide Certificate.
Please remember that any leaves etc left on a field are potentially
poisonous, and gloves should be worn when handling the weed.
Q Why
is it a special problem now?
A Poor land
management, and overgrazing of small fields is leading to
an increase in ragwort.
Please inform the council if you see ragwort growing on highway verges or on other land within their control.
