Guidance

Stop ragwort and other harmful weeds from spreading

How to stop harmful weeds spreading onto land used for grazing livestock or growing crops, how to dispose of them and how to report them if they’ve spread.

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England
Published
20 May 2019
Last updated
29 July 2019 — See all updates

Applies to England

Harmful weeds, also known as injurious weeds, are native to the UK and contribute to biodiversity.

Some harmful weeds are poisonous to animals, or can damage crops if they spread.

The 5 injurious weeds stated in the 1959 Weeds Act are:

  • Common Ragwort
  • Spear Thistle
  • Field Thistle
  • Curled Dock
  • Broad-Leaved Dock

Find out how to identify these harmful weeds.

Stop harmful weeds spreading to agricultural land

You can have harmful weeds growing on your land, but you should stop them spreading on to agricultural land that’s used for either: 

  • keeping or grazing horses and other livestock  
  • producing hay or silage for livestock 
  • other agricultural activities  

You may have to pay back costs associated with clearing the weeds if you do not clear them yourself when Natural England asks you to.

Prevent ragwort spreading

Read the Code of Practice on How to Prevent the Spread of Ragwort to understand how to control ragwort. If you can show you have adopted control measures which comply with the guidance in the code of practice, this can help you avoid fines under the Weeds Act 1959.

Control harmful weeds

You should control harmful weeds on your land so they do not spread to agricultural land.

If your land is a protected site, you may need permission before you use some control methods.

Find out how to spray plants with chemicals in the Stop invasive non-native plants from spreading guide if you want to control weeds with herbicides.

Control methods

You can control weeds by using a combination of:

  • spraying or wiping the plants with chemicals
  • pulling or digging out live, dead or dying plants
  • cutting back plants to prevent the seeds dispersing
  • burning plants using a spot burner
  • managing livestock so they do not overgraze and create bare areas where weeds can grow

Dispose of harmful weeds to stop them spreading

You should not let seeds spread or put grazing animals at risk when you dispose of harmful weeds.

On-site disposal of harmful weeds

You can dispose of small quantities of weeds by letting it rot down on site. You should put it in a container with a lid, such as a rigid compost bin, to prevent seeds dispersing.

You should use an on-site biomass facility or incinerator to dispose of larger quantities of weeds. You must have an environmental permit to do this.

Off-site disposal of harmful weeds

If you burn or dispose of harmful weeds off site, you must:

If you use a site which is not permitted to dispose of waste, you could be fined or go to prison.

Prevent animals eating harmful weeds

Some harmful weeds are poisonous to animals if they eat them.

Animals most at risk are:

  • horses
  • ponies
  • grazing livestock, such as cattle and sheep

If you own horses, ponies or livestock you must not allow them to graze on land where you know ragwort is present.

You can be prosecuted if you allow animals to suffer by eating harmful weeds.

Report welfare concerns

If you’re a member of the public and you see harmful weeds growing where horses, ponies or livestock are grazing, you can report this to the:

Reporting harmful weeds

You can ask Natural England to act if injurious weeds:

Before you contact Natural England, you should ask the responsible landowner to remove the weeds.

When you cannot complain to Natural England

You cannot make a complaint:

  • about non-native weeds such as Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam and Giant Hogweed
  • about injurious weeds spreading to non-agricultural land, such as private gardens or allotments
  • if weeds are growing more than 100 metres from agricultural land
  • if horses or livestock are on the land where injurious weeds are growing

If horses or livestock are on the land where injurious weeds are, and you are concerned for their welfare, contact the RSPCA, British Horse Society or Animal & Health Plant Health Agency (APHA), who have animal welfare officers and may investigate: 

  • RSPCA: 0300 1234 555
  • British Horse Society: 02476 840500
  • Animal & Health Plant Health Agency (APHA): 03000 200 301

Complaint form

If the landowner or occupier does not take action after you have asked them to, you can make a complaint under the Weeds Act (between 1 April and 30 September only).

Natural England Enquiries Team
Natural England
County Hall, Spetchley Road
Worcester
WR5 2NP

Updates to this page

Published 20 May 2019
Last updated 29 July 2019 + show all updates

  1. Added information on inspection and enforcement.

  2. First published.

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