Deadly yellow invader needs to be dealt with

Authorities in Cheshire with responsibility for land near to train tracks and motorways are being urged to get to grips with ragwort – a problem plant that poses serious risks to animal health.

NFU’s Environment and Land Use Adviser, Richard Potts, says he’s taken many calls from members who feel their land is being invaded by the problem plant.

One of those members is Nick Morris of Baddington House in Nantwich who rears suckler beef calves on 200 acres of land near to a railway line. He feels his farm is being invaded from all sides by ragwort, putting his young stock at risk – especially if the toxic plant infects fields where the grass will eventually be dried, clamped and used to feed the calves throughout the winter months.

"The railway embankments on either side of the tracks near to my land are entirely yellow in colour because of ragwort," said Mr Morris.

"It’s a disgrace. Over the years the problem has progressively got worse, to the point where it’s now spreading from the embankments to fields which surround my farm. Buckets full of the weed are what I’m left with when I remove it from my land but I’m unable to remove the ragwort that surrounds the train tracks as I’d be trespassing. I feel totally helpless."

Ragwort poses a significant risk to animal health in either its green or dried state. Care must be taken when disposing of ragwort because all parts of the plant remain toxic and harmful to animals when treated or wilted. Left unchecked, the problem is likely to become worse as a seed reservoir builds up. Cut and pulled flowering ragwort plants may still set seed and ragwort has a 70% germination rate.

Ragwort is a specified injurious weed under the Weeds Act 1959. This act empowers the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to serve notice requiring an occupier of land on which ragwort is growing to take action to prevent it from spreading. Defra actually has no legal obligation to take action and will therefore tend to prioritise its resources on land where the ragwort is likely to impact negatively on livestock, conservation or agricultural activities.

NFU’s Nantwich group secretary, Louise Young, added: "Ragwort in south Cheshire is rife and it’s a particular problem in areas adjacent to where cows graze or fields where winter fodder is being grown. The weed is a major concern for farmers in the area as it poses a significant danger to livestock and horses with potentially fatal consequences if ingested. And let us not forget that it is also poisonous to humans, so there is no excuse for not bringing this deadly yellow flower under control.

"Now is the optimum time to pull out the weed, before it goes to seed. One plant can produce tens of thousands of seeds that can lie dormant for many years."