Plant strife

Labour 'abandons' farmers to menace of killer weed

- By Rebecca Robinson

FARMERS have accused Labour of deserting them as they’ve been left to tackle a poisonous plant problem without government help.

Natural England has said it will no longer handle fresh disputes between agricultural landowners regarding ragwort, a toxic plant that can kill horses, cattle, pigs, and sheep.

Richard Heady, who runs Ash Farm in Milton Keynes, Bucks, said he sees the potentially deadly plant crop up in his fields every summer.

This leaves farmers with yet another task to tackle as part of an already tough job that’s being squeezed by government pressures.