Farmers have accused Labour of once again turning its back on them following a decision to stop assistance in tackling lethal plants that pose a threat to livestock. Natural England has announced it will no longer handle fresh disputes between agricultural landowners regarding ragwort, a toxic plant capable of killing horses, cattle, pigs, and sheep.
Christopher Jenkin, a Wiltshire Countryside Alliance member battling ragwort contamination from surrounding agricultural properties, said the move showed a “total disregard for the rural communities”. He told The Telegraph: “To say they’re reviewing it without any date of when they are going to be back taking complaints and closing down the complaints procedure in the summer shows a total disregard for the rural communities. Ragwort is highly poisonous. We’ve got horses and they’re grazing all the time. And sometimes we’ve got sheep on it, the sheep are equally poisoned.”
The Countryside Alliance, backing Mr Jenkin, stated that the closure “leaves no further avenues for complaint”, leaving landowners at the mercy of “the goodwill of their neighbours”.
Natural England – a governmental organisation overseen by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) – holds responsibility for upholding the Weeds Act 1959.
Agricultural workers have enjoyed protection under this legislation, particularly when weed conflicts cannot be resolved through direct negotiation.
The act allowed property owners facing contamination risks from adjacent fields to demand that the source of the invasive species be controlled following enforcement action by Natural England.
Defra has now suspended the complaints method whilst conducting a review aimed at addressing weed issues “in a swifter and more cost-effective way”.
Natural England, which typically processes complaints during the plant’s flowering season from April 1 to September 30, stopped handling fresh cases on July 25 – leaving no replacement system in operation.
A spokesperson from the organisation said: “Natural England is committed to working with farmers to help manage the spread of certain weeds that might affect farming practices.
“We are reviewing our approach with Defra to ensure that complainants and land managers have the appropriate knowledge and tools to address issues in a swifter and more cost-effective way.”
