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Common
Ragwort (Senecio Jacobaea) is a pernicious weed,
highly poisonous
to cattle, deer, pigs, goats and especially horses. It is also thought
to be poisonous to humans, bees pass its toxins to honey, and milk may
be similarly affected. If left to go to seed, a single plant may produce
up to 150,000 wind-dispersed seeds, which may lie dormant for up to 20
years. For these reasons, it is rightfully controlled by
the 1959 Weeds Act (see
DEFRA page), and occupiers
of land on which it is left to thrive may be charged for its removal. |
The following three risk categories (from the English
code of practice) are provided as guidelines for assessing risk:
- High Risk:
Ragwort is present and flowering/seeding within 50m of land used for
grazing by horses and other animals or land
used for feed/forage production.
- Medium Risk:
Ragwort is present within 50m to100m of land used for grazing by horses
and other animals or land used for feed/forage
production
- Low Risk:
Ragwort or the land on which it is present is more than 100m from land
used for grazing by horses and other animals
or land used for feed/forage production.
The following three infestation categories come from
the DEFRA Weeds Act 1959 Complaint Form:
- Heavy Infestation:
10 or more plants / 10 square meters
- Moderate Infestation:
5 - 9 plants / 10 square meters
- Light Infestation:
Less than 5 plants / 10 square meters.
See below for links to other resources:
Disclaimer: Some of the following links are to
sites with commercial interests. These are not endorsed by NKRCC, and
are referenced for informative use only.
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