Ragwort blues

SIR – The old country expression, “one year’s seeding, seven years’ weeding”, is as true today as ever.

Our wild-flower field, home to a host of bugs, cannot be sprayed for ragwort as this would also kill the flowers. If we do not control the ragwort by pulling it up, we cannot make and sell hay.

Haymaking not only spreads the seeds for next year but also removes fertility from the soil, further helping the less competitive plants. There is little, if any, profit in it.

Conversely, a nearby school has an uncut field of overgrown grass that is full of ragwort, which will now be blowing over neighbouring fields, including ours. It is very disheartening.

The point remains: ragwort is poisonous to livestock, which is why there are laws to control it.

Jon Hatt

Goring Heath, Oxfordshire