🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <RjmPuQAga011EwFl@wharfe.demon.co.uk>, David Brear
<dbrear@wharfe.demon.co.uk> writes
>I seem to have lost the beginning of this thread in uk.environment.
>conservation so forgive me for starting over again.
>
>I have seen a hell of a lot of ragwort this year. It seems to be all
>over Norfolk and the Vale of York, both arable areas, of course. I
>thought 'hang on, this can't be right' so it is interesting to hear that
>someone else thinks so too. What does anyone else think?
>
>Also, I have a message from a gentlemen in Cornwall who has
>found a poster in his post office to the effect that five species of
>weeds must be destroyed if you have them on your land. The list
>includes ragwort but not giant hogweed. 
>
>Does the Weed Act still apply? 
>Does anyone know the legal position regarding weeds? 
>Is honey made from ragwort poisonous, particularly to children?
>My Cornish correspondent is concerned because already the
>local churchyard has been sprayed, to the detriment of other
>species.
>
>All information gratefully appreciated.

I am told by my horse/sheep owning friends that that a landowner is
under a duty to remove ragwort due to its toxicity. Maybe someone else
has chapter and verse?

I also recently came across an article in a small-holders' magazine
(can't remember the name or date or name of the magazine). The article
was writen by someone from a donkey sanctury, and it was anouncing their
campaign to alert the public to the danger to livestock of cut hay with
ragwort in it. Aparently an animal will avoid ragwort when growing in a
field, but don't distinguish it when it is in cut dry hay. They said it
was a acumulative type toxin.

There are many of 'out of cultivativation' fields round here in Devon
that are a sea of bright yellow ragwort right now. As some of these
fields may well be fields that have other wild flowers as they have not
been fertilised or weedkillered or reseeded, should people be worried
that the non target wildflowers and grasses could be wiped out with weed
killers to comply with whatever laws there are or 'good practice' with
hay-making??
-- 
Theo Hopkins

Theo Hopkins wrote:
> 
> In article <RjmPuQAga011EwFl@wharfe.demon.co.uk>, David Brear
> <dbrear@wharfe.demon.co.uk> writes
> >I seem to have lost the beginning of this thread in uk.environment.
> >conservation so forgive me for starting over again.
> There are many of 'out of cultivativation' fields round here in Devon
> that are a sea of bright yellow ragwort right now. As some of these
> fields may well be fields that have other wild flowers as they have not
> been fertilised or weedkillered or reseeded, should people be worried
> that the non target wildflowers and grasses could be wiped out with weed
> killers to comply with whatever laws there are or 'good practice' with
> hay-making??
> --

There has been a lot of discussion on this issue on uk.rec.equestrian as
ragwort is poisonous to horses.  The issue is not just about the animals
eating either growing ragwort or dried plant material in hay but also
the plants in adjacent fields seeding fields where stock is grazed.

There have been several useful postings on what to do and where to get
info. so perhaps peolple who are concerned/interested could look on that
newsgroup.

Carys E. Brewster

In article <RjmPuQAga011EwFl@wharfe.demon.co.uk>, David
Brear <dbrear@wharfe.demon.co.uk> writes
>I seem to have lost the beginning of this thread in uk.environment.
>conservation so forgive me for starting over again.

Since sending my original message I have come across 2 useful
articles on the MAFF website:

http://www.maff.gov.uk/food/infsheet/1995/no52/52honey.htm

which is the results of a small scale study into possible ragwort
honey poisoning. In case you don't have ready access to the web,
the doc. ends:

Further information can be obtained from:

Mrs Chelvi Leonard
MAFF, Food Safety and Science Group
Food Contaminants Division 
Room 210 Ergon House, c/o Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR

Tel: +44 (0) 171 238 5734
Fax: +44 (0) 171 238 6591

and:

http://www.maff.gov.uk/environ/EPDNEWS3/WILDMAN.HTM
 which is about controlling weeds including ragwort.

I understand that the original problem in Cornwall has now been
resolved.

David Brear

The Wild Flower Page
http://www.wharfe.demon.co.uk/wildflwr.htm
Wild Flower News
http://www.wharfe.demon.co.uk/news1.htm

In article <qRUJcBAkaC21Ew4Y@thopkins.demon.co.uk>, Theo Hopkins
<thopkins@thopkins.demon.co.uk> writes
>In article <RjmPuQAga011EwFl@wharfe.demon.co.uk>, David Brear
><dbrear@wharfe.demon.co.uk> writes
>>I seem to have lost the beginning of this thread in uk.environment.
>>conservation so forgive me for starting over again.
>>
>>I have seen a hell of a lot of ragwort this year. It seems to be all
>>over Norfolk and the Vale of York, both arable areas, of course. I
>>thought 'hang on, this can't be right' so it is interesting to hear that
>>someone else thinks so too. What does anyone else think?
>>
>>Also, I have a message from a gentlemen in Cornwall who has
>>found a poster in his post office to the effect that five species of
>>weeds must be destroyed if you have them on your land. The list
>>includes ragwort but not giant hogweed. 
>>
>>Does the Weed Act still apply? 
>>Does anyone know the legal position regarding weeds? 
>>Is honey made from ragwort poisonous, particularly to children?
>>My Cornish correspondent is concerned because already the
>>local churchyard has been sprayed, to the detriment of other
>>species.
>
>The "Injurous Weed Act" (1959) still applies and I understand that it
is a legal requirement for landowners to take steps to prevent its
spread. In my local area (Suffolk) the council have been out pulling it
up form the road verges.

I would imagine that the prevelance of Ragwort this year is probably due
to favourable weather conditions (ie lots of rain earlier in the year).

>>All information gratefully appreciated.
>
>I am told by my horse/sheep owning friends that that a landowner is
>under a duty to remove ragwort due to its toxicity. Maybe someone else
>has chapter and verse?
>
>I also recently came across an article in a small-holders' magazine
>(can't remember the name or date or name of the magazine). The article
>was writen by someone from a donkey sanctury, and it was anouncing their
>campaign to alert the public to the danger to livestock of cut hay with
>ragwort in it. Aparently an animal will avoid ragwort when growing in a
>field, but don't distinguish it when it is in cut dry hay. They said it
>was a acumulative type toxin.
>
Correct. Animals will not eat it by choice but it can get into the food
chain when it dies back and is gathered in hay. The toxins accumulate in
the liver and can cause blindness and lver failure (among other things).
>
>There are many of 'out of cultivativation' fields round here in Devon
>that are a sea of bright yellow ragwort right now. As some of these
>fields may well be fields that have other wild flowers as they have not
>been fertilised or weedkillered or reseeded, should people be worried
>that the non target wildflowers and grasses could be wiped out with weed
>killers to comply with whatever laws there are or 'good practice' with
>hay-making??
>
>Quite so. Herbicides as a method of Ragwort control are not really
acceptable as they are not selective. The best (though time consuming
and tedious) is to pull them up by the roots.

-- 
Stephen Reynolds

Stephen Reynolds <stephen@wandlebury.demon.co.uk> wrote:


>>Quite so. Herbicides as a method of Ragwort control are not really
>acceptable as they are not selective. The best (though time consuming
>and tedious) is to pull them up by the roots.

I always thought so ( and have spent many hours doing so) but on
reading the MAFF research report
(http://www.maff.gov.uk/environ/EPDNEWS3/WILDMAN.HTM) indicated by
David Brear above I found the following:

"Ragwort 
Hand-pulling ineffective and may actually worsen situation. 
Most effective pesticides were 2,4D and Grazon 90 but significant
adverse effects on non-target species."

Oh dear! I must admit that I had heard this before, but never really
believed it. 

So, 'sorry' to all those volunteers who I have asked to pull ragwort
for all those years. 

What now?


Matthew Chatfield
Naturenet
http://naturenet.net

Visit us and comment please!

In article <35de9bea.1920759@news.astra.co.uk>,
Naturenet <editor@removethis.naturenet.net> wrote:
>Stephen Reynolds <stephen@wandlebury.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
>
>>>Quite so. Herbicides as a method of Ragwort control are not really
>>acceptable as they are not selective. The best (though time consuming
>>and tedious) is to pull them up by the roots.
>
>I always thought so ( and have spent many hours doing so) but on
>reading the MAFF research report
>(http://www.maff.gov.uk/environ/EPDNEWS3/WILDMAN.HTM) indicated by
>David Brear above I found the following:
>
>"Ragwort 
>Hand-pulling ineffective and may actually worsen situation. 

	Hand pulling seems to have worked in my garden over the years.  I
imagine it depends upon how much of the roots are left in the ground, it's
obviously easier to pull them up from garden soil than field ground where
animals have been compressing the soil.  Snapping the stems off at ground
level will stop the seeds from spreading, but I expect the plant will grow
again.  (It's a fairly common alien weed in the city of St John's and seems
to be spreading out into the nearby outports judging from our car window
survey over the weekend - but this is going to be the subject of another
posting!)

	I usually put them into the compost.  I cannot see any harmful
effects from that.  Our only livestock, Tarragon the cat, doesn't seem to
eat much hay let alone compost!

	Howard Clase  (St John's, Newfoundland, Canada.)

In article <RjmPuQAga011EwFl@wharfe.demon.co.uk>, David Brear
<dbrear@wharfe.demon.co.uk> writes
>I seem to have lost the beginning of this thread in uk.environment.
>conservation so forgive me for starting over again.
>
>I have seen a hell of a lot of ragwort this year. It seems to be all
>over Norfolk and the Vale of York, both arable areas, of course. I
>thought 'hang on, this can't be right' so it is interesting to hear that
>someone else thinks so too. What does anyone else think?
>
>Also, I have a message from a gentlemen in Cornwall who has
>found a poster in his post office to the effect that five species of
>weeds must be destroyed if you have them on your land. The list
>includes ragwort but not giant hogweed. 

I have just returned from holiday in Ireland (Donegal).
I read a copy of the weekly 'Farmers Journal' and saw that two letters
in letters page mentioned ragwort.

One (from Wexford) said there was an 'epidemic of ragwort', and though
the farmer was succesfully pulling ragwort on his own land, he felt that
he was about to be 'overwhelmed' by seed blowing in from other farmers
land and was calling for legislation to have it controlled.

The other (from Dingle??) letter was from another farmer. It was a toung
in cheek letter about the failure of local authorities to properly trim
road verges. Among other things he was suggesting 'the Tourist Board
organise wildflower trips to see the wildflowers....nomly only ragwort
and thistle'.

There was also a lot more ragwort in Donegal than I remember when being
there as a child.
-- 
Theo Hopkins

In article <hQidwEAOIT61EwIK@thopkins.demon.co.uk>, Theo Hopkins
<URL:mailto:thopkins@thopkins.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <RjmPuQAga011EwFl@wharfe.demon.co.uk>, David Brear

> >I have seen a hell of a lot of ragwort this year. It seems to be all
> >over Norfolk and the Vale of York, both arable areas, of course. 
> There was also a lot more ragwort in Donegal than I remember when being
> there as a child.

Ragwort comes and goes. I have a moderate amount this year, but not
as much as I have had. I suspect that the above average amounts this
year are a result of several summers of drought preceeding this year,
which broke up the turf leaving cracks and dusty patches for
germination. Most such plants established over these years were
probably too short of water to flower, previously. Of course I speak
as someone from Essex, and it may be that drought, was not so severe
elsewhere as here, so I could be wrong.

I hope that the large amounts this year don't encourage too much
trimming of verges. These really are refuges for so many insects, and
feeding grounds for small birds.  

 Regards from :     Using a      :  Software for RiscOS:Conservation Pages
 Robert Seago : StrongArm RiscPC :  http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/rjseago/
--