In message , Nick Maclaren
writes

In article ,
judith writes:
|
| A really good, balanced source of information on the pros and cons of
| ragwort is the Natural England/English Nature information note,
| primarily aimed at farmers and land managers but very useful to anyone
| interested.
| http://tinyurl.com/26kwaw

Not really. It's better, but still biassed.

Only if it does not support your particular viewpoint



| Which contains the following:
|
| Many grazing animals are at risk from the toxic effects of consuming
| ragwort by grazing the plant and consuming it in forage. Horses are
| especially susceptible. Cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, especially of
| adapted breeds, will avoid eating ragwort when it is growing but are
| more at risk when plants are wilted or dying. Signs of ragwort
| poisoning may be slow to develop and may not become apparent for
| several days, weeks or months. Signs may appear after consumption of
| the plant has ceased. Poisoning can develop quickly and animals can
| die within a few days of showing clinical symptoms. Liver damage is
| irreversible and there is no effective treatment

It fails to point out that is a significant issue only for ragwort
growing in hay fields, when the hay is cut, ragwort and all; or that
exactly the same is true of MANY other common grassland and hedgerow
plants.

I think that you will find that it does point out that: "Sheep (and
goats) may quite naturally eat some ragwort rosettes and flowers during
normal grazing activities especially where hardy/native breeds are used,
but for animal welfare reasons it is important to ensure there is a
choice of alternative herbage for them to select. This is normally the
case on semi-natural grassland habitats. Cattle and ponies
preferentially avoid common ragwort unless it has been cut and left in a
wilted condition."


It ALSO fails to point out that, as with thistles and many
such obtrusive and persistent weeds of grassland, it is the increased
use of land for grazing horses alone that is a major cause of the
problem.

It indicates that: "Common ragwort’s occurrence can be prolonged and
its density dramatically increased by over-grazing or other localised
disturbance impacts."

I agree that grazing horses undoubtedly contribute to the problem, along
with other livestock and rabbits and pasture management that is not up
to scratch - horses are far from being the major cause.

--
Robert