Councils urged to act over weeds epidemic
Every year, farmers call on bodies such as the National Roads Authority and county councils to control ragwort and other poisonous weeds on public roads. But their calls go unanswered — despite local authorities receiving special maintenance grants for road maintenance, including dealing with noxious weeds.
IFA deputy president and countryside section spokesman Eddie Downey said last week, “The incidence of ragwort and other noxious weeds along many roadside verges and medians has reached epidemic proportions.”
The problem for farmers is that every roadside ragwort produces 50,000 to 200,000 seeds from July to September, mostly dispersed by wind, mainly falling within five metres of the parent plant. The seeds can infest neighbouring farmland, and remain viable for up to 20 years in soil.
In 2009, 2010 and 2011, Single Payment penalties were applied to 27, 31 and 46 farmers, respectively, for failure to prevent proliferation of noxious weeds.
The Department of Agriculture issued 26 notices to destroy noxious weeds in 2010, and 35 in 2011, following inspections or complaints made by the public.
Ragwort is highly poisonous if eaten, toxic to cattle, horses, deer, goats, pigs and chickens. Farmers can also suffer major financial penalties if it infests their lands, both in prosecutions and penalties for non-compliance with EU farm payment schemes. The only way to eradicate ragwort is by pulling, ploughing or cutting it, or chemical control.
>>The issue comes into focus at this time of year because the weed is in flower and its distinctive yellow colouring is very noticeable. Some damage has already been done because the best time to tackle ragwort is earlier in the year before it begins to flower. The best way to get rid of ragwort is by pulling it up, and this can still be done by the local authorities. Unfortunately for farmers who go to the trouble of containing it at the right time of year, their efforts can be undone if the same work is not done outside their land on the roadside verges, because the seeds from ragwort can spread some distance.
>>Anything which is a threat to livestock should be included in the Noxious Weeds Act. The problem with enabling legislation is that if there is no implementation, then it is not very effective. Farmers are very frustrated that they can face penalties, yet a public body outside the ditch appears to be outside the law. Insisting that landowners comply with regulations, while failing to apply the same regulations to public bodies, is very unfair.
>>It’s not like it is difficult to see where the problem is. Anybody from the department who travels our main roads on a frequent basis can see for themselves the verges where there is a proliferation of ragwort. It should not take calls from the public or farmers to force public bodies to clean up their act. Ironically, the NRA has produced detailed procedures for the management of noxious weeds, yet the evidence is there for all to see that they are openly flouting their own guidelines.
Many county councils are just as bad. The law is not being taken seriously. It’s time for the gardaí and Department of Agriculture to step in and enforce the law against the NRA and local authorities. If you take a look at the road building that has been done under Public Private Partnerships (PPP), they have a much better record when it comes to controlling ragwort. If they can do it, there is no reason why other public bodies cannot.
>>Not to my knowledge. Again, the responsibility for ensuring road verges are clear of ragwort does not lie with farmers. The costs associated with taking on a public body, given the resources at its disposal, would be prohibitive. It’s back to enforcement of existing regulations; it that happens, we wouldn’t need to be talking about legal action.
>>The unusual pattern of weather this year has made the problem worse. Everybody knows how difficult it has been to get work done on farms this summer. Even when the rain has stopped, ground conditions have been so bad that getting onto land with machinery has been a big challenge. Spraying is not an option. We have also had warm weather, which has led to more growth of ragwort.
