Ragwort!!!

Do you get rid of Ragwort?

  • Yes

    Votes: 20 95.2%

  • No

    Votes: 1 4.8%
  • Total voters
    21
pinkypug1

pinkypug1

Member
Sep 16, 2007
801
6
18
Northern Ireland
Ragwort seems to be the baine of my life at the moment!! & noting seems to get it under control :stomp:

a couple of good friends told me not to bother doing anything about as they never have in 20 years & had no problems!!

My question is who leaves ragwort in their fields?? are we all being too cautious re this weed or are we right to make such an effort to try and get rid?? does anyone know stats re deaths due to ragwort in UK?
 
Well the thought of just leaving it feels me with fear! What about in the winter when it is lying there all dead and not bitter and smelly, and in those boring hours between feeds of hay they might start eating the stuff?? I would need a heck of a lot of evidence to support the theory that it isnt a problem, especially after experiencing a friends pony dying a dreadful death from liver poisoning.:devil:

I'll just keep dealing with it I think......voting done.:smile:
 
oooooh - just noticed your over here in the North Pinkypug1 - ignore 'em .....I've heard that load of old squit so many times over here I've lost count. Tis just the lazy, ignorant, head in the sand attitude that I find so often with horse owners over here...the list of weird and wonderful attitudes they have astounds me!:devil:

Considering this is called the land of the horse, by God in a lot of cases you wouldn't want to be a horse! Sorry if that offends any of my fellow country men and women but sadly tis the truth.:banghead:
 
Ragwort

Hi,

Only what I have just read on line. If ragwort is found on agricultural land, since it is a dangerous plant, it is the duty of the person responsible to get rid of it in approved ways. In other words the govt is trying to control it through agricultural legislation and a whole set of other laws govern what a local councils duty is regarding council owned hedgerows etc. It seems landowners can be fined if they do nothing and it spreads onto adjacent land/hedgerows.

So it appears one has a duty to grasp the nettle, (or in this case, the ragwort), and get rid of it in an approved way. See THE RAGWORT CONTROL ACT. Copied from the Act..Under the Ragwort Control Act, the Code will be admissible in enforcement proceedings under the Weeds Act 1959, 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. The occupier of the land is the person whose responsibility it is to control Ragwort. I only know this much thanks to Google! I'm no authority on the subject. But I do dig it up and dispose carefully.
 
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Pinkypug1 you are not alone, its a pain in the butt in my life as well.

I have absolutely TONS of the stuff this year !!

I have pulled and burnt all the Ragwort on one half of my Yard and electric
fenced the ponies in until I manage to pull and burn all the damn stuff on the
other side !!

Year before last, few bits.......last year one black bag full, this year I just
can't keep up with the damn stuff !!!

I would NEVER leave it, know of too many people who have had Horses with
liver problems that have been linked to Ragwort poisoning.

If you pull when the ground is damp the stuff digs out easily enough, but then
burn it and I have also read that if you put rock salt into the hole it kills any
roots that have been left in the ground !!

They usually won't touch it knowingly until it starts dying off as it has a bitter taste but as soon as it starts wilting they find it more palatable and
I am afraid its far more of a risk than I am prepared to take and although its a job I hate doing one I certainly would not leave.
 
thanks for your replies.. im not prepared to do nothing as id feel terrible if something happended and i couldnt at least say id done all i could to prevent it!! its such a pin & ive got soooo much of the damned stuff.

I will continue to plough on and try and get it under control :biggrin:
 
Spent yesterday evening getting rid after a heavy shower.
Friend of also told me wear gloves as she felt really unwell (diizzy and with blurred sight) after clearing a large field, over a couple of days, at first she didn't make the connection. Then she realised it must have the Ragwort. She thought it absorbed through her skin. Not worth the risk I guess.
I would always get rid of it :skull:
 
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