ragwort

With its large flat-topped clusters of yellow daisy-like flowers making an appearance in paddocks and fields across the country, it may look picturesque but are in fact poisonous weeds with cattle and horses particularly susceptible to poisoning. In this piece, The British Horse Society (BHS) has expressed concern that Local Authorities are not doing enough to tackle its spread on their land. According to Wendy Minor (BHS): “We’re finding that if you drive up and down the highways and byways at the moment, it’s growing really, really wildly and the local authorities are not clearing it, which they have done in past years”.   Derek Knottenbelt, a professor of equine medicine at the University of Liverpool, agrees, describing the effect of ragwort on horses and its recent proliferation as a “ticking time bomb” for the animals.