There are two trains of thought with ragwort.  Here are the arguments for and against

 Against

The British Horse Society (BHS) held an Action Ragwort week last week to highlight the fact that this plant can be deadly to horses and cattle. Ragwort has its place in nature but it is hoped that it can be contained in special areas of conservation.

We see a lot of Ragwort in the hedgerows and neglected land. The society are asking landowners to realise that Ragwort kills and it should be removed from any land that animals use. Every year horses ponies and cattle are put at risk. The Horse Society ask people to pull up the weed or burn them and in severe infestation to use a weed killer. Poisoning from Ragwort can happen at any time of year, as the dried plant in bales tastes good to the animals. The toxins in the plant have a cumulative affect on the animals and a small amount eaten over a long period of time can be as harmful as a large amount eaten all at once.

WHAT IS RAGWORT?
· Ragwort is a biennial flowering weed with crinkly, rosette type leaves. Yellow daisy-like flowers come from stout stems in the plants second year of growth.

· Ragwort is one of the most frequent causes of plant poisoning of livestock.

· Ragwort seeds can be dormant in the soil for up to 20 years.

· Each plant can produce up to 150,000 seeds and these have a 70% chance of germination.


CONTROLLING RAGWORT
There are ways to keep the weed from pastureland and the same principles can be put to use in the garden. If the weeds are allowed to set seed on your own plot then the seeds can easily spread throughout the peninsula. The roots of the plant can regenerate new plants if you don’t pull them all out, so don’t just knock the tops off, get a trowel underneath them. Get to the plant before it sets seed. If you notice the plant close to your own plot then you might have to tentatively mention the fact to the owners of the land, as when they go to seed they could also be your problem. If you see the weed on grass verges then it might be an idea to contact the council and let them know of the problem. There are ways of keeping the weed out of pastureland such as avoiding bare patches of ground and regular cutting of the grass. These principles can be used in your own garden. The thicker your grass the less likelihood of the plant taking hold.

When you are getting rid of this weed make sure that you wear gloves, as they are poisonous to humans as well as livestock and horses.

For  

Ragwort is poisonous to horses, cattle and sometimes sheep and can cause acute liver damage in young stock and chronic liver damage in older animals, but actually, this is rare. Ragwort, however is now thought to be distasteful to horses and cattle, and they will eat it only if they are half-starved on a pasture that is bare of almost anything else.

In the agricultural depression of the 1930s and during the Second World War, there was far more Ragwort around than there is today. There were no selective weedkillers available, so it had to be controlled either by hand-pulling or by allowing sheep to graze off the young plants, which are less poisonous. There were also many more horses in the country, working on farms or pulling delivery vans. Ragwort poisoning was a recognised disease, but not a major problem.

RAGWORT TYPES

Ragwort (Senecio Jacobea) is also known as ragweed, buachalán and buachalán buidhe. It is a common weed of Irish pastures and thrives on a wide range of soils, but competes best on lighter free draining soils where fertility is reasonably high and grazing not intensive.

There are four main types of ragwort to be found in Ireland according to An Irish Flora (1996) namely:
Common Ragwort -Senecio jacobaea - found everywhere.
Marsh Ragwort Senecio aquaticus - wet fields, marshes
Ragwort Senecio squalidius - mainly in larger cities, rare elsewhere.
Ragwort Senecio erucifolius – found especially in Dublin and Meath.
All four can interbreed where both parents are found.

BENEFITS OF RAGWORT
At least 30 species of insects and other invertebrates are totally dependent on Ragwort as their food. Many other species of insects that eat Ragwort, or require the nectar and pollen from the flowers, can also use alternative plants, however, Ragwort is often significant in supporting viable populations, especially in districts where such alternative plants may be absent or scarce. Ragwort is a major nectar source for many insects,including bees, hoverflies, butteflies and moths.

Harsh chemical action to control Ragwort could have detrimental consequences on the balance of nature. For more on the subject check out the following sites;

http://www.buglife.org.uk/conservation/currentprojects/ragwort/

http://www.ragwortfacts.com/

http://jove.prohosting.com/senecio/index.html

http://www.teagasc.ie/advisory/factsheets/ragwort.htm

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