News

Is ragwort still a threat to livestock?

Posted 28/07/2014

Ragwort has long been seen as a threat to livestock, having allegedly been responsible for poisoning cattle, horses and other animals. A new survey was launched this week by the British Horse Society, for example, to determine the impact of ragwort on horses, and if existing UK legislation such as the Weeds Act 1959 and Ragwort Control Act 2003 are still relevant.

Buglife, an organisation dedicated to preserving invertebrates, says ragwort is not harmful in pasture and does not present a major threat to animals grazing there. It urges people not to pull ragwort out of the ground but to think about the facts first. Steven Falk, Buglife’s Entomologist, says: “It really does defy belief when you see some of the unnecessary and ill-informed ragwort pulling that goes on in the countryside, and it can result in serious damage to key wildlife sites as well as reducing the capacity of the landscape to support healthy populations of pollinators such as bees, hoverflies and butterflies. I’d urge people to read the facts first before pulling ragwort, because pollinators are having a rough time and need our help.”

Teagasc takes a different view. According to its information sheet, ragwort, is “[…]highly poisonous plant if eaten. Ragwort is toxic to cattle, horses, deer, goats, pigs and chickens.” It says the only to get rid of ragwort from grazing areas is by “pulling, ploughing, cutting or chemical control.”