Stop ragwort and other injurious 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.
Applies to England
Injurious weeds are native to the UK, contribute to biodiversity and are of great importance to pollinators.
However, some 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 injurious weeds growing on your land, but you should stop them spreading on to agricultural land that’s used for:
- 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 injurious weeds
You should control injurious 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.
The Weed Control Handbook: Guidance on the use of herbicides on nature conservation sites provides guidance on sustainable weed 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 the relevant weeds.
On-site disposal of injurious 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 injurious weeds
If you burn or dispose of harmful weeds off site, you must:
- use a registered waste carrier to remove waste
- make sure that waste is disposed of at an appropriate site – find out by checking with the site directly, asking your local authority or check the Environment Agency public register
If you use a site which is not permitted to dispose of waste, you could be fined or go to prison.
Prevent animals eating injurious weeds
Some injurious 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 injurious weeds growing where horses, ponies or livestock are grazing, you can report this to the:
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)
- Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)
- British Horse Society (BHS)
Reporting injurious weeds
You can ask Natural England to take action where you have evidence that:
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the situation is extensive rather than localised, meaning at whole holding level or above - this evidence could include photos
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injurious weeds have spread widely onto agricultural land, meaning more than 10 harmful weeds in one square metre - this evidence could include photos
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the responsible landowner has failed to act despite asking them to remove the weeds - this evidence could include copies of letters or emails
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 you do not have the evidence set out above
If horses or livestock are on the land where injurious weeds are, and you are concerned for their welfare, contact the RSPCA, BHS, or APHA, who have animal welfare officers and may investigate:
- RSPCA: 0300 1234 555
- BHS: 02476 840 500
- APHA: 03000 200 301
Complaint form
Where you have the required evidence set out above you can make a complaint under the Weeds Act (between 1 April and 30 September only).
Natural England
Foss House
Kings Pool
1-2 Peasholme Green
York
YO1 7PX
Updates to this page
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Updated to clarify a change in the process for making complaints about injurious weeds.
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Updated the Natural England postal address for returning the complaint form.
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Added information on inspection and enforcement.
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First published.