Minister urges action on ragwort

MINISTER of State Mary Wallace yesterday urged landowners to take action over the noxious weed ragwort. Late autumn or early spring are recommended periods for spraying ragwort with an appropriate herbicide, on lands destined for grazing or conservation for hay or silage.

Launching a public awareness campaign directed at landowners and local authorities for the control of weeds designated as noxious, she said ragwort, thistle and dock must be controlled in pasture land under the law.

Ms Wallace said there were very good reasons for designating ragwort noxious under the Act, as it is poisonous to animals when grazed or when it is consumed in hay or silage.