Ragwort rant - still fuming!!!!

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Bert&Maud

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Some time ago I noticed that on the verge outside one of the houses in the village where I keep my horse there was a VERY tall ragwort plant, in an otherwise well mown and tidy area of grass. Yesterday I rode past when the owner (I assume, or maybe the verge is public land?) was carefully strimming around the now numerous ragwort plants. I stopped and asked if he was aware of what they were. Oh yes, he said, it's Senecio jacobaea, also known as Ragwort, I asked if he knew that it was highly toxic to most species and he said he knew that but no cows graze his verge, and he's hoping to attract butterflies and slow worms. I explained that I have spent the last 20 years trying to eradicate it from my paddocks which are a couple of hundred yards from his house, he said he didn't have the time to dig it up and then re-started the b....dy strimmer (causing major heart attack for my poor horse) and carried on painstakingly strimming around the dreaded weed. Grrrhhh, what chance do we stand of eradicating it from our paddocks and grazing land if members of the public are actively encouraging its growth???
 
Perhaps if you reminded him that there is a £5,000 fine which can be levied by DEFRA on anyone failing to control the growth of ragwort, which is officially classed as a Noxious Weed, he might be less inclined to cultivate it.

If the grass verge is not his then you could always get in touch with the council and offer to clear the Noxious Weed for them!
 
Ignorance is bliss.
If he has slow worms he has just strimmed them to bits and the butterflies.
Probably didnt like you pointing it out...mention re Defra etc Or pop something in the post to addressd to the The Occupier with Defra info. You dont have to say you sent it but you could attach a letter re effects of his actions on your horses grazing and health if you want to be identified. If he does it next year report him.

Coming back from dog walk this morning got told some horses near mine grazing in field full of ragwort. Cant they just pay someone a few quid to pull it up its about to seed around here.
 
I would just go and pull it up, if it's on a public verge, then he can do nothing to stop you. Many house owners will cut the verge outside their house, doesn'yt mean it's their property.
 
This suggests Level 3 which is currently £1000 fine
http://www.ragwortfacts.com/weeds-act-1959.html

Sure a Parl question was asked--How many people had been fined for allowing ragwort to spread and the answer was none!

Sec 14 £5000 is more for allowing Japanese Knotweed or Giant Hogweed to spread

Hopefully someone can come up with a better link/reference!
 
According to the documentation CarolineJ has linked to and the distance the OP quoted the risk would be classified as low and therefore the appropriate action would be Where a low risk is identified (see paragraph 13 above), but the presence
of ragwort is likely to present a risk in the future, contingency plans should be
prepared for its control. Where there is no immediate risk the presence of ragwort
should be recorded and the situation should be monitored six monthly to ensure
that the risk is reassessed should circumstances change.
 
Would you believe that there is land locally that is owned by the Corporation of London, amongst the land are paddocks, they use these to graze various breeds of sheep on as well as Dexter cattle.
There is a paddock in The Grove in Caterham that was full of ragwort, no attempt had been made to remove the weeds, so what did they do on friday?
Yes, deposited another load of Dexters in there to graze!
I cannot believe these idiots who call themselves wardens actually could be that stupid or ignorant.
I have had no answers to emails to them in the past so have gone over their heads straight to the Corporation's head office and to someone who has some clout.
I have told them they have 2 days to do something about it or I am downloading the form from the DEFRA site and reporting them, no reply to my email as yet BUT on investigation this morning alot of the ragwort, but not all has "mysteriously" gone.
I hope the cattle haven't eaten it but hopefully the wardens got the much needed kick up the proverbial they need to remove it. These people should know the basics of animal husbandry!
They are not above the law. If there's any left in there (ragwort not cattle) by tuesday the forms are going to DEFRA, they give priority to cases where livestock are grazing but don't seem to have enough time to investigate or act upon reports of ragwort growing at the sides of the road, which of course, is rife all over the UK. It's usually council land, yet they seem to be the ones to get away with it.
 
You could also point out to him that the pollen is the most toxic part and not just to livestock, to humans too. It made me very ill a few years ago, trying to clear a field.

Not to mention the only 'butterfly' which targets this weed is the Cinnebar moth. Never heard of slow worms being attracted to it!
 
..... guess what?! The fairies must have been round in the night because it's gone today! It hasn't had the dreaded strimmer to it because the rest of the grass is still long, so I guess his conscience got the better of him and he's been digging! Result!
 
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