Field FULL of Ragwort and horses grazing - who would you report it to?

How is all this fear and anger possible? If you know his plant everybody can prevent poisoning by ragwort and other poisonous plants. If you know ragwort you know prevention is the best way and easier then cure.
If there is a case of poisoning it is an accident, nobody wants that.
Are the media and the newspapers responsible for this fear?
I wrote a Dutch website and it is translated to English about ragwort and have a special ( English) ragwort forum I need some help with adresses where you can do post mortem so I can put it by the links for good information about ragwort. Thanks very much if you can help with this.

BR Esther
 
fear and anger?
because we try so hard as responsible horse owners to clear it, we are told its a legal responsibility to do so, then we see it covering every inch of verges, hedge lines and public land...we cant keep on top of it, its disgraceful

prevention? nonsense, that is exactly our point, how can we prevent it when its everywhere around?
 
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If there is a case of poisoning it is an accident, nobody wants that.


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also, no.
sometimes we see horses in pathetic fields bare of anything to eat but this stuff. the owners know its there. so its not accidental. its irresponsible owners. ive seen hungry foals grazing on it.
 
we have a huge ragwort problem in my area. we manage our fields by getting out as much of it as we can as soon as it starts to appear as rosettes, and because i strip graze atm each time i move the fence i triple check there is none and if there is out it goes GONE.

the bigest problem is neighboring farmers etc not managing it or it just growing like wildfire everywhere
 
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also, no.
sometimes we see horses in pathetic fields bare of anything to eat but this stuff. the owners know its there. so its not accidental. its irresponsible owners. ive seen hungry foals grazing on it.

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Who's to blame for that? Can you blame nature for irresponsible owners? They can prevent by pasturemanagement.
 
I have another question, how many prooven ragwort poisonings are there in England and how many horses are there in England?
Is ragwort really a big problem?
I know horses dies at grassicknes, colic laminitis etc.
In the Netherlands we have a monitoring system about ragwort poisoning cases. Is that in England too?
If not I am glad to help with it.
 
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also, no.
sometimes we see horses in pathetic fields bare of anything to eat but this stuff. the owners know its there. so its not accidental. its irresponsible owners. ive seen hungry foals grazing on it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Who's to blame for that? Can you blame nature for irresponsible owners? They can prevent by pasturemanagement.

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an accident is something that happens which cannot easily be prevented.
horses grazing in and being poisoned in a ragwort infested field is therefore not an accident, asit can be prevented with good pasture management.
irresponsible owners do not prevent ragwort poisoning as they do not follow good pasture management. therefore poisoning is not accidental.
 
The only way to get rid of Ragwort in fields is to have it sprayed with an appropriate weed killer and allow it to completly kill it off. Only when it is completly killed off should it removed (either with a cut and collector or manually collected) and burned. (Always wear thick industrial grade gloves when handling Ragwort as it is poisonous to humans as well).

As regards legislation the Ragwort Bill became law on 20th February 2004 and made it illegal for a landowner to allow Ragwort to grow within 50 metres of a horses field or a field used to grow hay for horses. The owner of the field should be reported to DEFRA and they will issue an enforcement notice. If the owner then still refuses to remove it then DEFRA will appoint a contractor to do it and send the bill to the landowner.

www.defra.gov.uk Tel: 08459 335577
On railway land Tel: 08457 114141
Motorways and Trunk Roads Tel: 08457 504030
Local Roads Contact the Highways Department of your local County Council
 
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