The plant flowers beautifully, is very strong and grows very quickly. But the advance of ragwort in the Netherlands is a thorn in the side of many farmers. The plant is poisonous. Horses and cattle in particular can become very ill from it. The farmers demand that the government put more effort into combating it.
“I experienced it myself on my farm. One of my cows showed large white spots on the black and white skin. At a certain point the skin started to hang loose. Then you already know, she ingested ragwort,” says Dirk Bruins , livestock farmer and chairman of LTO Noord.
The cow in question eventually survived, but according to Bruins, things often go wrong and animals die. “The problem is that ragwort accumulates in the liver. There it leads to a build-up of toxic substances, which can ultimately be fatal to the animal. It’s not like you can say one to one: the plant leads to the death of a animal It is in fact a silent killer.
In full bloom
For road authorities, ragwort is the roadside bloomer of their dreams. Until recently, the first thing was the municipality. province or Rijkswaterstaat had to plant ragwort when building a road or cycle path. Not only because it looks nice, but also because the berm with the plant is immediately a lot sturdier. “Fortunately, they don’t do that anymore,” says Bruins. But the problem is not over. On the contrary. Governments are increasingly switching to an ecological mowing policy. There is less mowing. Plants on the roadsides, such as the ubiquitous ragwort, are now given the opportunity to fully bloom.
“We think biodiversity is important and we also want plants to grow. But we don’t want poisonous plants to grow,” says Bruins at RTV Drenthe. “The plant should be mowed better or removed. If necessary with pesticides if there really is no other option.”
Not near farmland
The problem occurs in a large number of places in the Netherlands. In the north, people are calling for a covenant in which farmers work together with the province, municipalities and Rijkswaterstaat. “Rackwort does not need to be removed as far as we are concerned, it just should no longer be near farmland,” emphasizes Bruins. A meeting is planned for horse keepers, municipalities and the province in Limburg. “In this meeting we want to ask municipalities to mow on time”, thus the Limburg Agricultural and Horticultural Organization. Also in the Gelderse Valley calls the LTO urges the municipalities to take action.
“It will be examined on a case-by-case basis whether and how action is being taken,” says a spokesperson for the province of Drenthe in response to the call from the LTO. “Where it turns out to be necessary, extra mowing is done along provincial roads near farmlands for hay and where cattle roam. It has been decided to handle reports individually in order to take into account ecological roadside management.”
Horse owner Jaap Haikens from Papenvoort is not waiting for it all. Together with his wife, he removes ragwort by hand. Not only the flowering, but also the young plants. “That is difficult to do well, but it is the best. Because today’s small plants are next year’s large flowering plants.”
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