On this occasion the letter that was edited and in the shortening gives a slightly different picture. So we have put some of the original text back in square brackets.
SIR – BJJ Jelf (“Ragwort is a killer”, Letters, May 30) repeats a number of urban myths.
It is wrong to say ragwort is lethal even in small amounts. The scientific literature shows a substantial amount is needed to kill an animal. There is one record of a horse surviving being fed 25% of its body weight.
It is also untrue that ragwort is spreading. Evidence from the Government’s UK Countryside Survey shows it is decreasing.
[Native plants like ragwort grow on a site because the conditions that it likes occur there. These are often often created by overgrazing a pasture. ]It is nonsense to suggest it is spreading from verges. Seed spread by itself is ecologically negligible for such a common plant and we know from the research that the seeds, although wind-blown, rarely travel more than a few yards, with most falling at the base of the plant.
The evidence also shows that ragwort is often not to blame for liver damage in livestock.
[ There are many things which can cause liver damage in livestock and when properly investigated the evidence shows that ragwort is often not to blame. The evidence all says ragwort poisoning is rare.]
There is a lot of misinformation about ragwort, often spread by commercial interests selling dubious cures and treatments.
At Friends of the Earth we pride ourselves on studying the evidence on a subject – not just listening to gossip. I draw my conclusions from many years of studying the science on this matter. I would recommend this course of action as it helps greatly in being properly informed.
NEIL JONES
Biodiversity campaigner, Swansea Friends of the Earth