|
|||||
By Linda CorbyHome
Ragwort, I hate the stuff! Ragwort is a poisonous plant which is a serious threat to the welfare of every horse and pony in the country, it presents a growing threat to the UK horse population, it can be very difficult to identify when it is dry in hay. Ragwort contains many different alkaloids, making it poisonous to animals; it is of particular concern to people who keep horses and cattle. Ragwort is very poisonous to horses, ponies, donkeys and other livestock, and causes liver damage, and can be found along road sides and waste grounds, it grows rampantly in all cool and high rainfall areas. Beware for Ragwort which can have potentially fatal consequences.
Ragwort also grows especially well on overgrazed land and because of the lack of cover is likely to be eaten by animals. It can poison at any time of year. Ragwort acts as a cumulative poison, eventually destroying the liver, and a small intake of ragwort over a long period can be just as damaging as a large intake on a single occasion. Flowering twice a year with each plant can produce up to 150,000 seeds. Ragwort still retains its poisonous properties when dry, and it is readily consumed in this condition. Ragwort is one of five injurious weeds covered by the provisions of The Weeds Act 1959. Cut and pulled flowering ragwort plants may still set seed and ragwort has a 70% seed germination rate. All parts of the ragwort plant remain toxic and harmful to animals when treated or wilted. Following a period of hot dry weather horses may resort to eating plants they wouldn't normally eat, including ragwort if it is present. Uncontrolled ragwort left growing in and around horse pastures exposes horses and ponies to poisoning and possibly death, and the infestation will increase each year as plants set seed. Overgrazed land provides ideal conditions for ragwort growth and spread and the toxins in ragwort are not destroyed by cutting, pulling, digging up, spraying or drying. As far as my research goes I have found no simple tests currently available to specifically detect ragwort poisoning. However, clinicians at Liverpool Veterinary School have developed a blood test to detect early signs of exposure to ragwort. Remember it is vitally important that skin should be washed after ragwort control has been carried out.
Control Control is difficult, since ragwort has the ability to live as an annual, biennial, or perennial, depending on environmental conditions. Control of ragwort is the only way to avoid ragwort poisoning. Ragwort is well known as the food of caterpillars of the Cinnabar moth and this moth being used as a control for ragwort in countries in which it has been introduced and become a problem, like New Zealand and the western United States. It is vitally important for horse owners and horse pasture owners to recognize and control this potentially fatal plant. Combined with good pasture management, the pulling/digging up of ragwort can be a successful way to control the plant without having to apply herbicide. The occupier of land where ragwort is growing is primarily responsible for controlling the plant. Weeds In the case of Ragwort or other injurious weeds growing alongside the motorway or trunk roads, the complaint should be referred to the Highways Agency, and for minor roads, the local highway authority. Horses Horses should never be allowed to consume any feed containing ragwort; I have to warn you however that sheep and goats suffer the same process of liver destruction but at a reduced rate to horses and pigs. Some horses develop a liking for the bitter taste and may choose to eat it even when there is sufficient palatable grass available to graze on. Ragwort is very toxic and people should never leave cut plants within reach of horses, cattle, horses, deer, goats, pigs and chickens. Liver failure is a horrible way for horses to die; they may become lethargic or show abnormal behaviour. You must rest the field for a good period of time after clearing Ragwort, as the dead plant is still poisonous; remove all traces before putting the horses back out. If you allow horses to graze in a ragwort infested paddock you are sentencing them to a long, lingering and extremely painful death. In horses especially, the clinical signs may develop months after ragwort hay is no longer being fed, making an accurate diagnosis is difficult. Other plants that cause a similar liver condition include heliotrope and the legume crotalaria, several species of which have proved their toxicity to horses in the US, Australia and South Africa. Although this does occur in other plants, common ragwort presents the greatest risk for horses because of its widespread distribution in poorly maintained pasture and in grassland used for hay production. Cattle and horses are more susceptible than sheep, goats, or llamas. The greatest danger of poisoning to cattle and horses is in hay and silage containing ragwort. Recent research shows that ragwort is not only poisonous to horses, but also to humans, which seems odd as from medieval times to the mid 20th century, Ragwort was used against inflammations of the eye, for sore and cancerous ulcers, rheumatism, sciatica and gout, for painful joints. The lethal dose for horses is stated to be between 3-7% of body weight, but some researchers claim 20%. Seed Seeds can lie dormant on the soil surface for 4 to 5 years or over 20 years if buried, and seedling mortality is also likely to be high in the first year of growth. Seeds on the soil surface germinate readily following rain in the autumn, while seeds covered by soil or litter may exhibit delayed germination, and seeds that do not germinate in the autumn of their shedding can persist in the top 4cm of soil for 4-6years, but seeds buried to a greater depth than this, often survive for at least 15 years. Cutting Ragwort is only acceptable in an emergency situation to prevent reseeding. In this situation ragwort may be cut mechanically but in order to prevent seed production and dispersal, plants must be cut before flowering begins. Pulling Ragwort which is what I do, has to continue annually if the pasture has a history of ragwort infestation and therefore has seeds present in the soil or is subject to fresh seeds falling onto it. It is important that you actually yank the roots right out of the ground, as a seed can germinate anywhere the soil surface is exposed and conditions are favourable. Flowering normally takes place in late summer after which most plants die off leaving a gap for new seedlings. Ragwort seeds are of a feathery type and are dispersed by water, wind, animals, hay and farm machinery. Leaves The leaves are light to dark green and deeply lobed and the lower leaves form a rosette which is present from autumn to late June, then dying back when the main stem develops before flowering starts in late summer of the second year. Over time, the leaves show a gradual increase in the degree of wrinkling and waviness and they become hairy as the plant gets older. Hay Hay-making or ensiling does not destroy the toxic compounds of Ragwort, it is therefore possible for dead plants to be incorporated into silage or hay and this is the main cause of Ragwort poisoning, so always examine dried forage for poisonous plants, dried grass, hay may potentially contain ragwort. Remember that Ragwort is most dangerous when baled with hay. It is a fact that Ragwort is one of the most frequent causes of plant poisoning of livestock in Britain and Ragwort poisoning can occur at any time of year, so remain vigilant year around. Ragwort acts as a cumulative poison, eventually destroying the liver. Ragwort is most easily removed at this time when the plant is immature as a seedling or rosette. Ragwort should only be moved in sealed bags or enclosed containers, it germinates mainly in the autumn and spring. Ragwort does not tolerate regular soil cultivation and is rarely a problem in arable fields, but is a highly poisonous plant if eaten.
|
A lot of people are allergic to Ragwort, I myself have had a strong reaction to it at one point, but then I didn’t bother wearing gloves when pulling it up. I read an excellent article by Chris M. Carmichael on allergy remedies. Click here to read it.
Code of practice on how to Nature's Way of Controlling Ragwort Asthma & Allergy Cure -drug Free. Natural Asthma Treatment Breakthrough Is 100% Safe, Effective, Proven & Guaranteed.
|
||||