The BHS Ragwort Survey

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Tinypony

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Is it too little too late? I've dutifully gone and filled in some locations, but really what I need to say is - have you been to Kent lately?? Would someone involved in the survey like to come to visit me one day and I'll take them on a guided tour of all the fields with horses grazing surrounded by ragwort within a 10 mile radius of mine. By the time we'd taken photos and worked out the postcodes I reckon it would be evening and we'd be about ready for a strong drink in a good pub!
Ragwort has been proliferating relatively unchecked in parts of the UK for so long now. Even if we manage to get the odd field dealt with, what chance is there when the Highways Agency, local councils, schools and even people in their own gardens allow it to grow, flower and seed every year? Some fields near me have turned completely yellow this year, it's the result of more and more plants seeding each year. These fields look as if they have oilseed rape in them, they're so yellow.
There are local farmers cutting hay from fields with ragwort in them. I know, the flowers are there to be seen. They claim they pull the plants before haying. Of course they do, and they don't miss a scrap do they? Not to mention the plants in the rosette stage, they obviously manage to get them all out before cutting as well don't they? Do they care when they can take the hay and sell it for £6.50 a bale to people who think they can be trusted?
Welfare agencies turn a blind eye to owners who ignore their advice to clear ragwort. What else can they do? They don't have the resources to deal with the scale of the problem.
So where will it all end? There is so much more of this plant about in the area where I am than there was even 10 years ago, it is frightening. If this situation is allowed to continue, what the heck will it all look like by 2021?
 
It's the same at Throckley, Newcastle, you can hardly see the ponies for ragwort, I considered putting a note on the gate saying ragwort kills, I mentioned it to my OH and he remembers when there was none at all in the fields and on our old yard in that area, in the two months since we left ragwort is back with a vengence
 
There's a field in my village that also looks like it's oilseed rape. People also don't realise it's also toxic to people - the pollen being the worst bit. The last time I complained to Highways they came out SIX MONTHS later and emailed me to say 'they'd been out, but didn't see any' (in December). I'm afraid they got a very sarcastic reply.
 
I've just looked on both Hampshire and New Forest council websites and there is all this guff about The Ragwort Control Act of 2003 and how they understand that it must be tackled but, and I quote

"3.3 Hampshire County Council's policy for controlling ragwort on highway land is a policy of control and not eradication based on risk as set out in the “Code of Practice on How to Prevent the Spread of Ragwort”.

3.4 Hampshire County Council's preferred method of ragwort control is to prevent the weed from becoming too well established. "

Obviously its not being done and its very well established along the motorway and verges round here!! Do letters and petitions actually help?
 
As posted on another ragwort post...never mind the survey, we know it's everywhere. The BHS need a program of EDUCATION to disseminate info such as a media campaign. I think i'm going to write to the local paper and highlight the problem and hopefully it will get printed!
 
Fairly sure a local paper would pick this up
Maybe contact your local NFU rep/reps to be involved and Countryside Landowners rep
We did this up here--even got on TV with local MSP digging ragwort with BHS Welfare--chance to show wearing gloves and explain how dangerous ragwort can be in certain locations.

In Dumfries and Galloway we had a ragwort committee for 2/3 years, representatives from Council roads dept, Motorway contractors, Councillor who was also a Countryside Landowner rep, 2 NFU, a Biodiversity rep and myself for horse owners.

I have to say the trunk roads up here are mostly quite clear this year--those I have driven on recently anyway but I have not been right across the Region!
 
I am in Kent and this year its seems to be all over the place,all up the M20 I have called and reported this to the Highway Dept, but we have two places that keep horses just down the road from us and the fields are full of it, and the horses are out in the fields, I just could not believe it, each year it gets more and more and it does seem that some people do not seem to care !!
 
Ebony, would you like to pm and maybe we could try to organise something with other horse owners? I get desperately short of time and am already involved in some welfare stuff, but maybe we can do something. There are livery yards and studs with horses out in fields full of the stuff - it's madness. I have some in my field, which is hardly surprising when you look at how much is in neighbouring fields, but at least with constant digging and pulling it's fairly under control.
 
It's the same round here (Surrey) everywhere, local council land is the one of the worst and a cow paddock (no cows at the moment but there will be sooner or later) is full of it.
I over heard a conversation once, between a local farmer & landowner (in Banstead) chatting in a farm shop, the landowner was asking the farmer if he could come and cut and bale his hayfields.
Someone else in the shop (a woman who had lots of horses locally) asked if the hay was ragwort free as she was looking for some hay for the following season. The landowner didn't know what ragwort was, so the farmer described it, YES the landowner said loads of it but that won't hurt. The farmer agreed and said he'd be round during the week to cut it, neither the landowner or the farmer gave a toss about the ragwort. It was all down to money at the end of the day, not the welfare of any grazing animal that might be unfortunate enough to eat any.The woman, needless to say didn't buy any of their hay!
 
It really worries me. I know that the farmers I buy hay from are concientious, but with so much of the stuff about it's going to be hard to keep any fields free of it.
So, I wonder... would it be possible to use the power of the forums to somehow unite groups of horse owners in different counties, and maybe get them hooked up with reps from NFU, or BHS, or someone useful? Many hands making light work and all that.
 
Up for the evening crowd.
This is starting to gain some interest already. Anyone interested in being involved in a Kent action group would you like to pm me with off-forum contact details?
I am wondering if it would be possible to co-ordinate something on a county basis, with individuals taking on some sort of organising role. There are a couple of us in Kent willing to make a start on something. If we start now, and maybe get something going, imagine how much pressure we could start to put on various individuals and agencies if by next year there were 100's of horse owners involved in every county...?
(A little voice in the back of my brain is saying "What are you starting now???" On the other hand, if nobody ever does anything then nothing will change will it?).
I would actually like to leaflet drop whole communities, even though most will have nothing to do with horses. People don't realise how bad this weed is for people, let alone animals. Think of all the people handling it in their gardens. The children picking it... My neighbour has a "wildlife" meadow area which is really her front lawn. It sounds daft but it's a little urban paradise for butterflies, bees and all sorts of activity. However, after a minor rant from me she let me leap into action with my ragfork and hoik out every last weed in her grass. She was worried about moths, but I pointed out that a mere couple of streets away is the M20, with enough ragwort to keep many, many moths happy!
 
After a few pms - some initial thoughts.
How about something similar to Horsewatch? A main co-ordinator for the county, with a team who would each take a part of that county for distribution and communication. For example - the BHS survey. We don't know how efficient the reporting is. Lots of us may be reporting the same fields, and other fields not being reported at all. What if we could go on to a website and log the postcodes we'd reported for all to see maybe... Or, say we wanted to communicate with an MP or local councillor. Someone finds out the contact details and passes them up to the co-ordinator. Someone else does the same with a draft letter. The co-ordinator then passes these down the line and everyone in the group writes.
Just some initial thoughts. But we've got to do something... haven't we?
 
I have written a couple of emails, one to the local council and one to the Highways Agency and thought you might be interested in the response, this is what I wrote...

'I am writing to you in the hope that it will highlight a problem with ragwort along the M27 in Hampshire. I commute daily from the New Forest and there is alot of ragwort along the trunkroads and motorway verges from junction 1 (Cadnam) through to junction 3 (Nursling). The fields on either side of the motorway are nearly all grazed by horses and cows or are used for agricultural purposes. Ragwort is very poisonous and I am worried that it has been allowed to flower and the seeds to spread. Next year there will be so much more! Please can you reassure me that something is being done, as a horse owner and resident of the New Forest I am very concerned about the risk of the plants spreading and affecting the livestock that graze the forest and the animals that live in the fields adjacent to the motorway.'

This is the replies...

'The Highways Agency has recently reviewed its Ragwort Control Plan, which outlines the current policy and process used in the control of ragwort. Although there is no statutory requirement for landowners to remove ragwort from their property, the following legislation and guidance has been established to control and prevent the spread of ragwort.

Code of Practice

The Code was originally produced in 2004 and revised March 2007 to provide guidance to landowners and occupiers on what areas are to be controlled, the most appropriate control measures to be carried out and details how to dispose of any a risings.

Where ragwort presents a high risk of poisoning to horses and livestock or could spread to fields used for the production of forage then under the Code a ragwort control policy should be put on place.

While failure to follow the Code does not constitute a specific offence, non-compliance may be used as evidence in any legal proceedings.

Within the code the risks are formed into three groups:

High Risk Ragwort is present and flowering/seeding within 50m of the land for grazing by horses and/or other animals or land used for feed/forage production.
Medium Risk Ragwort is present and flowering/seeding within 50m to 100m of the land for grazing by horses and/or other animals or land used for feed/forage production.
Low Risk Ragwort on land which it is present is more then 100m from land used for grazing by horses and or other animals or land used for feed/forage production.

In accordance with the Code of Practice (COP) we aim to remove all ragwort if it is categorised as a high or medium risk.

We have assessed the A31 and M27 in accordance to the COP and have indentified areas that require treatment. We are programming control works and these will be undertaken as soon as reasonably practicable. '

Watch this space...lets see if and when something happens.

The council reply gave me a link to a map (www3.hants.gov.uk/row-online-maps.htm) where you can 'report a problem'. I had to include my contact details on the form so I will see what kind of a reply I get. I get the impression there is a half hearted attempt at doing something, I think at the mo they have more pressing problems with all the bin men on strike!
 
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