Highways Agency
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Ragwort - Managing the Risk to Horses and Livestock
A Concerted Campaign to Control Ragwort on the M25 Network
Contents
What is the problem?
Ragwort is one of the most frequent causes of livestock poisoning in Britain. Listed in the Weeds Act 1959 as an injurious weed it is the responsibility of the landowner to control and prevent it from spreading.
Herbicides are employed as a control method. They are used not as an overall spray, but directly applied onto individual 
ragwort plants. By using sticking agents within the spraying compound we can reduce the amount of active herbicide normally used for such control. With continuous control it is envisaged that year on year the amount of ragwort on the network will be reduced to manageable levels and the amount of herbicide used in their treatment will be reduced on the same scale.
What are we doing?
The Highways Agency are proceeding with a concerted campaign to control ragwort on the M25 network.Our strategy involves using a roving team to inspect and control the ragwort on the whole of the network once every three weeks, rather than concentrating on particular hotspots during the flowering period.
As responsible landowners we want to help prevent the harmful effect ingested ragwort has on the health of animals such as horses and cattle. We also want to ensure that the surrounding plants and animals can thrive where ragwort has been controlled.
In order to control ragwort we have initiated a programme that covers the whole of the M25 network. This involves:
- year round monitoring of the highway verge to identify the location of ragwort plants;
- providing all year round control - not just the summer months;
- educating staff;
- setting up a response team dedicated to ragwort control;
- contacting interested groups and individuals and informing them of our commitment; and
- informing adjacent landowners where ragwort is present so as to encourage them to introduce their own control.
We are committed to a long-term pro-active ragwort control programme.
Ragwort the Facts
- Ragwort kills livestock and horses by causing irreversible liver damage after ingestion.
- All landowners have a duty to control ragwort.
- Ragwort is normally biennial. It produces small rosettes in the spring and flowers in its second year, from July onwards.
- Each ragwort plant produces 150,000 seeds that remain viable for many years.
- It is found on areas such as highway verges where it is easily spread by the air turbulence created by traffic.
Symptoms of ragwort poisoning may include:
- weight loss;
- poor and staring coat;
- staggering gait;
- impaired vision;
- inability to swallow; and
- paralysis.
The British Horse Society has been at the forefront in campaigning for effective ragwort control policies. Last year the society initiated the Ragwort Control Private Members Bill currently before Parliament. If passed, it will give DEFRA powers to make a Code of Practice to provide statutory guidance to landowners on how ragwort is to be controlled. This will dramatically strengthen current legislation.
"The British Horse Society fully supports the efforts of the Highways Agencys M25 Sphere in its campaign to control ragwort around the M25 network."
Helen Owens, Media Manager - The British Horse Society
Contacts
Contact the Highways Agency
Highways Agency Information Line 08457 50 40 30 (calls charged at local rate)
If you want to comment on this leaflet, or need more information about the Highways Agencys M25 Sphere, please write to:
Highways Agency
M25 Sphere
Federated House
London Road
Dorking
RH4 1SZ.
Contact The British Horse Society
Phone 08701 202244
The British Horse Society website http://www.bhs.org.uk/
If you would like more information about the work of The British Horse Society, or their Ragwort Campaign, please write to:
The BHS Media Office
The British Horse Society
Stoneleigh Deer Park
Kenilworth
Warwickshire
CV8 2XZ
More Info
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