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Valentine Arabians
Gold Member
United Kingdom
586 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Aug 2008 : 12:37:29 PM
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I have just reported our neighbour for ragwort...sent him a letter first, but had no response! Got a phone call from him after his letter from Rural England and told me that he didn't want to disturb the wheat crop...the damn weed is growing along the dyke between our land and his and not in the wheat for goodness sake and getting rid of it won't disturb the crop! Yesterday, he sent in a man with a digger to flail the dyke sides (obviously doesn't want to dig it all out)...not the dyke between our land and his (I hasten to add) and there is still ragwort growing at the top of the dykes, front and side...all within 50m of our paddocks!
We had a couple of plants growing on our dyke sides and I climbed down into the dyke (nearly lost my wellies numerous times and found that they had holes too....!) and dug it all out.
Yes, I totally agree there is far too much of it around this year, much more than I have ever seen and the general population needs to be re-educated...TV programme like Panorama, perhaps?
I have a friend who did 'extra' work for Boston Council, ragwort 'picking' and she got into trouble for taking the time to dig out the roots....'just pull the yellow flowers off' was what she was told to do...haven't seen anyone 'picking' ragwort anywhere in the Boston area since!
So much for the 'great' DEFRA and their Weeds Act 1959............!
Liz |
Liz & Walter Downes
www.ValentineArabians.com
Lincolnshire |
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Pixie
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
6586 Posts |
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Cage Alma Arabians
Bronze Member
England
226 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2008 : 10:01:58 AM
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Regarding Ragwort in derbyshire- we have never had it on our land until this year! Then suddenly we have had a few clumps- pulled very quickly! But i have noticed it appearing in the verges of our lane and other's fields too this year, don't know if it is to do with this lond period of wet- it sprang up in the wettest part of our field. We've never had to worry about it before but been shocked this year at how much i have seen in the county. We do however get a lot of foxglove. I think Ragwort has become a nationwide problem and it is mainly down to the councils not bothering on verges and parks etc. If they don't bother to treat, farmers are not going to waste their money spraying etc so it spirals out of control. I once went to a seminar where a vet told us it was a "notifiable weed", which menat that the councils had an obligation to distroy it but I've not been to a single borough yet where they make any effort.
I have seen a horse PTS after Ragwort posioning. There are two different ways if can affect the system as I learnt as a veterinary nurse. Firstly as Pat said, it can be accumalitive and the damage to liver can take a long time, even years if the beastly thing is repeatedly eaten.
You can also have acute cases, if the horse who has never had it suddenly eats a large amount say in hay or on poor grazing etc. The body cannot deal with it and the live is severely damage my the shock and shutting down of the body and the horse can show signs of liver damage within hours of eating the stuff. More rare but a certain risk. |
     
www.cage-alma-arabians.com
Derbyshire. |
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susan p
Gold Member
Scotland
915 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2008 : 9:38:49 PM
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My daughter and I were clearing ragwort from our fields with rag forks and gloves and she brushed against it,now she has a scar on her arm,nasty stuff  |
www.blackislearabians.com
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the ways its animals are treated
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NUTTER
Platinum Member
England
2452 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2008 : 10:16:30 PM
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I have 11 acres and have to say i have only had to pull 2 lots..
If managed and dried then burnt it keeps it at bay..
Have to say the duel carriageway and motorway around us has it everywhere have not noticed anybody seeing to it!!
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arabic
Platinum Member
England
4562 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2008 : 10:23:48 PM
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Although I havent had so much this year, I have been digging plants continually all through the summer. I cant beleive they just keep coming.
YO has agreed to let us spray next year. I just wondered how does the spray work? I dont want to find myself digging plants that appear later in the year. |
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vanbro
Bronze Member
United Kingdom
93 Posts |
Posted - 04 Oct 2008 : 4:23:26 PM
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I am going to say that I am well fed up with the whole Ragwort thing. DEFRA ,RSPCA ETC ETC are all just paying lip service to the problem and their own legislation.
Katie and I pulled up 23 barrow loads of ragwort year before last from a 1 acre paddock , last year 2 barrows and this year about 12 plants.
It can be done and if every one does their bit it works.
The authorities eg. Highways for instance do not 'do their bit' which re-seeds our land. Thanks for that.!!!
I reported to Defra and the RSPCA , ponies grazing on a field which was mostly ragwort which was taller than the ponies..The ponies were not in good condition and had been reported by us and others on at least five occassions in the previous year.
Neither authority has done anythng about the situation.
The report was put in 2006 and 2007 and this year we decided that as both the owner and the authorities had not acted , that we would just 'mind our own business'.I can't bear to go and look again.
Neither agency was decent enough to get back to us with a progress report.Probably 'cos there was'nt any.
The RSPCA did ring me to ask for a financal donation though. !!!!!
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VANBRO - |
Edited by - vanbro on 04 Oct 2008 4:29:08 PM |
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