News

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

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

We sponsored the first of 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 first awareness week was held on 14-20 April, during which ragwort pulling parties were held throughout the country by groups who had applied to the BHS for one of 50 donated Rag-Forks.

The second week is due to be held on 4-8 August. 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.

 

Rag-Fork to the Rescue

The team at Rag-Fork recently helped The Phyllis Harvey Horse & Donkey Trust rid their paddocks of ragwort by generously donating a Rag-Fork for their 'ragwort attack day' on 22nd June.

Founded in 1974, the charity aims to help horses, ponies and donkeys that are being abused by re-habilitating and re-homing them. However, with weekly running costs exceeding £1,300, it constantly relies on donations from businesses and individuals just to keep afloat.

Trustee and Voluntary Fundraiser, Sue Huggins said: "We contacted Rag-Fork as we only had the one fork and envisaged a fight breaking out over who got to use it.  We received a new fork within days and were delighted with the results achieved.  The Rag-Fork is much easier to use than an ordinary fork and doesn't leave big holes in the field". 

 

For further information on The Phyllis Harvey Horse & Donkey Trust visit www.hopepastures.org or call 0113 261 4344.