Almost everyone involved with horses will know about the dangers it poses – every year animals die painful and unnecessary deaths as a result of damage to their liver from consuming the toxic plant. Despite this, ragwort levels seem to be on the increase and we have certainly seen this in the number of cases reported to us over the last few years.
Lee Hackett, Head of Welfare at the BHS, says: “Ragwort has been causing horrible deaths to horses and ponies for many years and yet it seems to be becoming more and more widespread in its distribution. Even when it isn’t in a field grazed by horses it produces seeds that can the wind can carry long distances and spread the problem in future years.
“The laws surrounding ragwort are not being enforced and now we need to stand up and be counted. We must take action now rather than sit back and let the problem become progressively worse”.
Data is desperately needed to illustrate the extent of the UK’s ragwort problem, this can then be used to fuel the argument for enforcing better control - and if necessary, to lobby for changes to legislation.
So that's where you came in. Throughout the week, 12-18 July 2010, we were appealing to everyone with an interest in horses to take time to help complete a “snapshot survey”. The aim was to record the extent and location of ragwort spotted during the Awareness Week. Mapping software will be used to highlight the areas where ragwort is most prevalent and the number of animals grazing in ragwort infested fields will be calculated.
The results to this survey will be available soon.