Jacobaea vulgaris
Senecio jacobaea

Why they are deemed a problem? Ragwort is poisonous for horses and cattle, although not it seems for the deer at ELF. Humans can also suffer from cirrhosis of the liver if it is handled sufficiently.

The legal case. The Weeds Act 1959, amended by the Ragwort Control Act 2003, aims to prevent the spread of Common Ragwort. It provides powers for the Secretary of State, any person acting on their behalf or the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to prevent the spread of Ragwort on private land, which, if not adhered to by the owner of affected land, can lead to a fine up to £1000 and further punishment.

Although only one of five plants listed in the 1959 Weed Act, ragwort is regularly rooted for removal. The reasons are, arguably, a) it is more toxic, b) more noticeable with it's bright yellow flowers and c)is more able to spread further afield with it's parachute headed seeds.

.... when tested in a variety of conditions, 31% of the seeds travelled only 1 metre, 89% of them 5 metres or less and none were collected more than 14 metres from the source. The study involved studying the dispersal of over fifty three thousand individual seeds. ragwortfacts.com

The management on this land.
The ragwort is pulled up and bagged. Care has to be taken in not leaving viable root parts. SeeJuly 17th 2015.

The original fields, those to the south of the main drag, seem all but cleared of ragwort, so there is some relief that all the effort worked and is still noticeable.

Most of the weed is pulled from the bottom of the Triangle Field; 90% of which is the area to the south of the path to the Far Fields.

Common Ragwort is normally a biennial (rosette 1st year and flowering 2nd year).
During its first year of growth it establishes a rosette of basal leaves and over winters in this way. During the second year the rosette sends up one or more leafy stem, up to one metre in height, which is unbranched and produces numerous flower heads at the top. The flower heads are carried in a large flat-topped cluster. Flowering usually occurs from June until late October after which the plant dies.

Common Ragwort can also behave as perennial (flowering every year) after damage to the crown such as cutting, grazing, hoof damage, damage by machinery and following incomplete/ineffective hand pulling in dry weather. It can also remain in the rosette stage for several years under intensive cutting regimes such as may be practised on amenity grassland.

Options for disposal of ragwort plants include, sealing in plastic bags for incineration or landfill, or by disposing in an environmentally acceptable way, whereby it will not be a risk to grazing animals and the seed will not be spread. When plants are incinerated this must be undertaken in accordance with the Code of Practice for the Protection of Air (Appendix 8) and Local Byelaws. Landfill sites must be an approved Local Authority facility. The Environmental Services Department of your Local Authority will be able to identify the nearest waste reception centre. When transporting pulled ragwort, care should be taken to ensure that it is either in a sealed container or well-covered to prevent the spread of seed.

Composting in the open is not recommended. If the composting process does not kill the seeds, there will be a risk of spread of ragwort. Composting should therefore not be used for disposal of ragwort, unless the temperatures reached are sufficient to destroy viable seed.

Handling Ragwort Plants
Ragwort is a toxic plant and suitable precautions must be taken when handling live and dead plants. Hands must be protected by wearing sturdy waterproof gardening type gloves. Arms and legs should also be covered. A face mask should be used to avoid the inhalation of ragwort pollen.

If skin comes into contact with ragwort the area should be thoroughly washed in warm soapy water, rinsed and dried.

Work diary: 2013 - 2014