Ragwort in neighbouring fields aggrrr

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Daisy2

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I have approached the owner of the land, but not interested, said pull yourself if you like, what a cheek!, but its now a forest, I am so worried for my horses. I thought about contacting the council but from what I hear its not really a priority for them and could take years to accomplish anything, by then its to late. anyone else have this problem?
 
The correct body to complain to is DEFRA. (Look up the address of your local office on the Internet). Give the location, name address and telephone number of the owner, and state that there is a serious danger of the ragwort spreading to your own land and affecting the health of your own very valuable horses. Cite the Weeds Act and animal welfare legislation. It has worked for me!

Do a Google and you might even come up with a standard letter of complaint.

BTW, landowners are required to control noxious weeds under the conditions under which they receive Single Farm Payment (which is paid for out of things like VAT on fuel). DEFRA inspectors must take action where there are dangers of these weeds spreading to fields containing livestock.

DEFRA has a let out in that it does turn a blind eye to infestations which aren't likely to cause harm on the grounds that ragwort, etc. are food plants for rare butterflies and moths!:rolleyes:

If more people would complain, there would be fewer problems. But bureaucrats being bureaucrats, you need to complain to the right people in the correct form or they go "institutionally deaf"!
 
Stop being lazy. Get a wheelbarrow, a fork and set to work woman!!! Stop moaning, nothing will get done, this is England after all. NO-one gives two *****s.

If you want something doing, do it yourself.

I think you are cheeky to ask the owners to remove rag fo YOUR horses. They were not cheeky to say you could do it yourself.
 
Dry Rot said:
The correct body to complain to is DEFRA. (Look up the address of your local office on the Internet). Give the location, name address and telephone number of the owner, and state that there is a serious danger of the ragwort spreading to your own land and affecting the health of your own very valuable horses. Cite the Weeds Act and animal welfare legislation. It has worked for me!

Do a Google and you might even come up with a standard letter of complaint.

BTW, landowners are required to control noxious weeds under the conditions under which they receive Single Farm Payment (which is paid for out of things like VAT on fuel). DEFRA inspectors must take action where there are dangers of these weeds spreading to fields containing livestock.

DEFRA has a let out in that it does turn a blind eye to infestations which aren't likely to cause harm on the grounds that ragwort, etc. are food plants for rare butterflies and moths!:rolleyes:

If more people would complain, there would be fewer problems. But bureaucrats being bureaucrats, you need to complain to the right people in the correct form or they go "institutionally deaf"!
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This is also sensible but will take time.... hence, I have just gone and done it myself in the past.
 
tallyho! said:
think you are cheeky to ask the owners to remove rag fo YOUR horses. They were not cheeky to say you could do it yourself.
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Not really, The landowners HAVE to clear the ragwort.

I think they were bloody cheeky to be so nonchalant about something potentially life threatening to someones livestock.
 
ThePinkPony said:
Not really, The landowners HAVE to clear the ragwort.

I think they were bloody cheeky to be so nonchalant about something potentially life threatening to someones livestock.
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Yes well there's the IDEAL world.... then there's REAL LIFE.
 
tallyho! said:
Stop being lazy. Get a wheelbarrow, a fork and set to work woman!!! Stop moaning, nothing will get done, this is England after all. NO-one gives two *****s.

If you want something doing, do it yourself.

I think you are cheeky to ask the owners to remove rag fo YOUR horses. They were not cheeky to say you could do it yourself.
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I wasn't too sure if you were joking here tallyho, it is a reportable weed and if farmer gets a genuine complaint he is morally obliged as well as legally to take action, we don't know the area involved, might be too much for a spade effort.
Main problem is that it is bad idea to fall out with neighbours , lots of farmers hate horses and horse owners.
 
Easy to say get to work when the fields nearby are 50 acres of something like this (photo off Google but this is what the council fields near us look like ... and all the grass verges and all the railway lines ... sometimes they run sheep on the land who eat the tops off the flowers ... and that's the extent of the control!)
1459558.jpg

... It's just not physically possible.

In my area, we have complained to the council, written and called defra ... nothing has changed in 25 years! Some years the fields get topped before and that's it. Something like 1000 seeds per seeded plant, dormant for up to 22 years .... It's a big fight!
 
MrsD123 said:
I wasn't too sure if you were joking here tallyho, it is a reportable weed and if farmer gets a genuine complaint he is morally obliged as well as legally to take action, we don't know the area involved, might be too much for a spade effort.
Main problem is that it is bad idea to fall out with neighbours , lots of farmers hate horses and horse owners.
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Sorry, I was a bit harsh. Comes from inner rage!!!! :D:D:D

However, it IS a pet hate of mine. There is no-one to uphold the law. It's all beaurocracy, you write, you get a reply someone is on to it... summer is over.... rag spores float over and another generation of rag starts again on my field. No one has so much rang the offending LO.

I was being honest. Seriously, if you want something done... you really DO have to do it yourself. Even if it means going out there with a few friends and donning the boiler suits and having a bonfire... on their land!!!

Yes, some landowners do hate horses... and councils, and people... evidence is everywhere. Bridleway closures, signs "no horseriding", less and less facilities... we have no rights anymore.

Sorry... rant over.
 
TBH I am with TallyHo and the others on this.

Firstly I would write to DEFRA citing all the legislation and legal mumbo jumbo and I would inform them that if nothing was done in 14 days that I would look to take legal action against them and the land owner.

If they failed to do anything you could clear it yourself and then bill the farmer for the work you have carried out (£10 per hour is pretty reasonable) and then also send a copy of the invoice to DEFRA and a copy of the letter you have sent to the land owner.

I hate ragwort :( I work really hard to keep it clear in our area and I constantly ring the council and DEFRA about it. Sometimes it gets cleared sometimes I end up doing it myself. The other thing we have to contend with in our area is fly tipping on our bridle paths - I am on first name terms with the council rep for the public byways LOL!
 
Interesting thoughts, and yes I have pulled it myself but it is so bad its impossible, parts of it look like the picture posted by Misstyc. Anyway the good news is that I have now decided to move, we go tommorow yay! More to the point though this person does have horses, if not for consideration for others at least for her own horses it should be managed....just lazy.
 
That ragwort looks more like a crop--disgraceful
Hope everyone with problem neighbours is going to fill in the BHS Survey

BHS Ragwort Awareness Week (RAW) Survey 11-17July--the on line survey form will be available then.

I understand DEFRA are making it more difficult to complain about ragwort--you have to show you have approached your neighbours etc
Your photo is VERY good evidence

Here is the link:
http://www.theragworthub.co.uk/complaining/defra.php?PHPSESSID=25a590a7c0e9ef3487812710d46d7a6a
 
I'm not 100% certain what it's called or where you get it, but I've seen a fine mesh, which you buy by the roll to attach to your fence to reduce weed seeds blowing onto your land. It will probably be less time consuming than clearing someone elses fields of weeds so might be worth looking into.
 
The landowner is responsible for removing the Ragwort.

The only way to clear it is to kill it off with a specific chemical. If you pull it up you will leave part of the fine root structure in the ground and it will regenerate to form new plants.

I would find a dedicated agricultural contractor and ask them to spray it. Once it has died then they should return and collect and burn it. This may be expensive but it will kill it off once and for all.
 
Why Should they just pick on farmer, what about road verges railways development land and other land owners eg horse amenity ets
 
^^ this. Driving along the A40 last week was amazed to see just how many plants there were grwing at the side of the road.
 
mon said:
Why Should they just pick on farmer, what about road verges railways development land and other land owners eg horse amenity ets
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Had to drive through Brighton today and it seems like the council there are growing Ragwort like a decoration on the side of the road into town! Seas of tall yellow :shock:
 
Oh well, c'mon lets pick on the whole blinking country... lets go and protest outside DEFRA and 10 Downing Street! Cos if we did they'd all be dead scared and run out with thier sprayguns killing it all.

*screeches to a dead halt* We can't even cope with snow let alone a killer weed.

Look guys, it's only dangerous if it was ingested. Most horses avoid it like the plague and yes you can buy a weedkiller but it's expensive and it's just one of those things we horseys have to do. Cattle farmers have to do it too. Council don't give a monkeys, neither do DEFRA.

This is Britian. We muddle through in a fog of useless legislation designed to protect us yet it doesn't at all and some folk dressed in suits attending meetings about a meeting is delegating it some other moron doing exactly the same thing.

I keep saying it but................. if you want something doing... do it yourself. OP has voted with her feet and left. problem solved.

for those of you who get answers from DEFRA... i want proof and those who think DEFRA care... bless you.
 
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