News

Rag-Fork and the British Horse Society Pull Together to Prevent the Spread of Ragwort

The team at Rag-Fork this year joined forces with the British Horse Society (BHS) in a bid to control the spread of ragwort.

We sponsored two 'Ragwort Awareness Weeks', organised by the Welfare Department of the BHS, the aim of which is to highlight the harmful effects of ragwort on grazing animals, particularly horses and to provide advice on how to control it.

The awareness weeks were held on 2-8 April and 17-24 September, during which ragwort pulling parties were held throughout the country by groups who had applied to the BHS for one of 100 donated Rag-Forks.

The timing of both weeks coincides with the common growth periods of immature ragwort, during which it is better to remove the deadly weed before it flowers and the seeds are spread.

The BHS leaflet 'Advice on the Dangers of Ragwort' and Defra Codes of Practice on preventing the spread of ragwort and disposal options are available from the BHS Welfare Department. Please call 01926 707807 or email r.molloy@bhs.org.uk

Rag-Fork Donates Forks to International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) and Appears on TV

ILPH Glenda Spooner Farm in Somerset recently received a very kind donation of 11 Rag-Forks to help control the spread of the deadly weed ragwort.

"We are incredibly grateful to Rag-Fork for their generosity," said Centre Manager Janet Dale.

"When we relocated to the farm last November, a large acreage had been left as set-aside and was housing a flourishing population of ragwort. We had no option but to spray the majority of this land in order to try and control its spread, but were left with a considerable number of plants along the field margins.

"The Rag-Forks are excellent at removing the plants, roots and all. We now have enough Rag-Forks for every member of staff so they will help us to keep on top of the problem from now on."

The arrival of the Rag-Forks at the farm was filmed by a tv crew as part of a series named 'Horse Patrol', shown on new channel Horse & County TV (SKY channel 280) on Wednesdays at 7.30pm and repeated at 10.30pm.

The programme follows the charity's 16 U.K. Field Officers as they investigate cases of horse cruelty and neglect.