Labour savaged for 'turning its back' on farmers as poisonous plant row erupts

Farmers have accused Labour of "turning its back" on them as they've been forced to tackle a growing poisonous plant problem without Government help. Natural England has announced that 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 runs Ash Farm in Milton Keynes and sees the potentially deadly plant crop up in his fields every single summer, and this year was no exception. This leaves him and his fellow farmers with yet another task to tackle as part of an already tough job that's being squeezed by Government pressures. He told the Express: "It's slightly worrying when they're turning their back on things like that. You wonder what's next.

"The farming budget is getting tighter. We've not got the support from the Government that we've had before, so there's less and less labour on farms because we just can't afford to employ people like we used to.

"Jobs like pulling up the ragwort will get put to one side... It'll just proliferate and could start to become a bigger issue."

Natural England, a governmental organisation overseen by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), holds responsibility for upholding the Weeds Act 1959.

Agricultural workers have enjoyed protection under this legislation, particularly when conflicts over the dangerous weeds cannot be resolved through direct negotiation.

The act allowed property owners facing contamination risks from adjacent fields to demand that the source of the invasive species be controlled following enforcement action by Natural England.

Defra has now suspended the complaints method whilst conducting a review aimed at addressing weed issues "in a swifter and more cost-effective way".

Richard explained the severity of ragwort, which can "take over" if not dealt with properly and threaten large swathes of agricultural land.

The fourth-generation farmer looks after 200 cattle and 30 sheep, all of which are put at risk by the weed as its seeds spread from field to field when the wind blows.

He said: "If you get a neighbour or someone with a paddock or nature reserve that doesn't keep on top of it, it can just explode. In a year like this, when it's nice and dry and bright, it just proliferates and more or less takes over."

Natural England, which typically processes complaints during the plant's flowering season from April 1 to September 30, stopped handling fresh cases on July 25 - leaving no replacement system in operation.

Richard called for a "policing element" to be reinstated so farmers feel assured that they can report ragwort, and you know it will be resolved".

He argued that helping farmers to tackle the potentially fatal plant "surely comes under the scope" of the Government as "it's part of the natural landscape" that Britain is so proud of.

A Natural England spokesperson said: "Natural England is committed to working with farmers to help manage the spread of certain weeds that might affect farming practices.

"We are reviewing our approach with Defra to ensure that complainants and land managers have the appropriate knowledge and tools to address issues in a swifter and more cost-effective way."