Ragwort....need advice????

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ACMissy

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The livery yard that we keep our yearling as got lots of ragwort in all its pastures, seems that it has just appeared from no where ive never really noticed before how bad it actually is....i know that it is very dangerous for horses and especially young stock!!Gona say to the YO tomoro about it but she can be sometimes very defensive and talk down to me as she thinks she knows everything when it comes to horses!!!! I would like to be sure of all the facts before i go to her so im looking for help..can you please help...wat should i say to her??????
 
Thistle is right, it is a notifiable plant and I beleive the owner of the land can be made to clear it. Its a horrible plant and only really dealt with if pulled up before it seeds. Remember to wear gloves when you do it. Perhaps you could suggest getting a 'ragwort pulling party' together and clearing the lot. Make it a sort of social event.
 
At this stage the weed has got beyond the point where spraying will have any effect. About the only way to get rid of it now it to go out with a fork and dig it up. If your yard owner is stroppy about it I would go out and at lest clear the field that you are keeping your horse in and encourage the other owners to do the same. Make sure you wear gloves when handling ragwort as the sap can penetrate your skin and is not good for you either. Once you have removed all the stuff that you can see I would suggest that next spring, before you even really start to see it coming up all the pastures affected need to be sprayed with a product suitable for the control of ragwort. This wants to be done whilst the ragwort is at the rosette stage and is still small. It may be costly, but it cheaper than the vets bills if your horses start eating the stuff.

Under the notifiable weeds act your yard owner has a responcibility to remove the weed.
 
If she's not very forthcoming with your concern then I suggest you try and get all of the liveries to spend time together digging it out with ragforks. After all, it must be a risk to their horses as well so I would just get on with it straight away or if there is just too much to manage then I would move yards.
 
yep need to get it out and now is the time after all the rain the roots pull out beautifully, yard owner needs to remove it by law...

Ragwort
Injurious Weeds and The Weeds Act 1959
Ragwort is one of five injurious weeds covered by the provisions of The Weeds Act 1959. Ragwort is poisonous to horses, ponies, donkeys and other livestock, and causes liver damage, which can have potentially fatal consequences. Under the Weeds Act 1959, the Secretary of State may serve an enforcement notice on the occupier of land on which injurious weeds are growing, requiring the occupier to take action to prevent the spread of injurious weeds.

The adoption of the Ragwort Control Act on 20 November 2003 marks an important step forward in the protection of equine welfare. The new Act, which amends the Weeds Act, will give added protection to horses, as well as other animals from the serious and sometimes fatal consequences of Ragwort poisoning. The Act, which was sponsored by The British Horse Society, originated as a Private Member’s Bill, and was presented to Parliament by John Greenway MP. The Government gave its backing to the Bill, and welcomes its successful passage through Parliament. The Act came into force on 20 February 2004.

The Ragwort Control Act enables the Secretary of State to make a Code of Practice to prevent the spread of Ragwort. Then Rural Affairs Minister and Minister for the Horse, Alun Michael, launched the Code of Practice on How to Prevent the Spread of Ragwort at the Royal Show on 4 July 2004. By promoting good practice and good neighbourliness the code aims to reduce significantly the risk posed by ragwort poisoning to horses and other animals. The Code is particularly relevant for large scale organisations, including local authorities and public bodies.

The Code provides comprehensive guidance on how to develop a strategic and more cost-effective approach to weed control. It give advice on:

Identification of Common Ragwort
Risk assessment and priorities for ragwort control
Control methods their suitability and efficacy
Environmental considerations
Health and safety issues.
The Code does not seek to eradicate ragwort, and it is important to remember that where there is no threat to animal welfare, Common Ragwort makes an important contribution to the biodiversity of the countryside.

Under the Ragwort Control Act, the Code will be admissible in enforcement proceedings under the Weeds Act, which will make it easier to prosecute those who disregard the need to control Ragwort. Similarly, those who have followed the guidance laid down in the Code, would be able to use this in their defence in any Court proceedings.

To see a copy of the Code of Practice to prevent the spread of Ragwort click here. Hard copies of the Code can also be obtained from Defra publications at:

Defra Publications
ADMAIL 6000
London
SW1A 2XX

Tel 08459 556000

Guidance on the disposal options for common ragwort
Effective disposal of ragwort is a key factor in control. Cut and pulled flowering ragwort plants may still set seed and ragwort has a 70% seed germination rate. All parts of the ragwort plant remain toxic and harmful to animals when treated or wilted.

A guidance note has been produced to supplement the Code of practice and provide more detailed advice on the disposal options for common ragwort.

Please click here for more information and to download a copy of the Guidance note.

Leaflets
A Defra leaflet The Weeds Act 1959 - Guidance Note on the methods that can be used to control harmful weeds provides technical advice about the various methods of weed control in respect of all five weeds covered by the Act. The proposed Code of Practice on the Control of the Spread of Ragwort will supplement the advice in this leaflet in respect of Ragwort. There is also a leaflet available Identification of injurious weeds. This provides advice on how to identify the five weeds covered by the Weeds Act 1959, including colour photographs. Both of these leaflets are available on the Defra website. They are also available in hard copy from:

Defra Publications

Admail 6000

London

SW1A 2XX

There is also another leaflet, The Weeds Act 1959 - Preventing the spread of harmful weeds, which gives general advice about the Weeds Act. This is currently only available on the Defra website.

How to complain about the spread of Ragwort
If you are concerned about Ragwort or other injurious weeds spreading to your land, you must first approach the owner/ occupier of the land on which the weeds are growing and ask them to take steps to clear the weeds. In the vast majority of cases the owner/ occupier of the land will normally react positively.

In the case of Ragwort or other injurious weeds growing alongside the motorway or trunk roads, the complaint should be referred to the Highways Agency, and for minor roads, the local highway authority. Where Ragwort is growing on railway land and embankments, Network Rail should be contacted. The telephone numbers for the Highways Agency and Network Rail are:

Highways Agency 08457 50 40 30 - (Motorways and trunk roads)
Network Rail 08457 11 41 41 - (Railway land and embankments)
For all other roads Contact the Local Highways Authority. For contact details see the local telephone directory or the local authority website.

If this approach does not resolve the problem, you should complete a Weeds Act complaint form (Weed 2 Rev 7/03). Hard copies can be obtained from the Rural Development Service offices at Bristol.

........make sure your yard owner burns it and doesnt leave it lying around its worst when it drys out and isnt sour but lovely and sweet....

I have just had a mad rush pulling a load from the new yard which I rent...evil stuff!!
 
Thanks everyone.....unfortunatly its quite a small livery yard so looks like we will be spending our holidays pulling weeds lol !! it will be worth it if it is as dangerous as u all have pointed out!!
 
DEFRA are about as much use a chocolate fire guard but what you tell me is unbelievable. Ragwort will polish offa horse in no time. You need to get this sorted it is a disgrace though note at the momment horses won't eat it as it tastes bitter but there is no excuse for not spraying or clearing it away, your YO has a duty
 
I'd just like to add that eating ragwort causes severe liver damage. The damage is cumulative and by the time there are any symptoms it is too late. No-one really knows how much ragwort has to be eaten before the liver damage is fatal and it may well vary from horse to horse anyway.

Hopefully you can impress upon your YO how dangerous it is and she will help you remove it all (as other posters have said make sure you wear gloves and burn it).
 
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