Ragwort horror

[Johnboy]

Hi Giulia,
Trust a Scouser to bring some humour into the subject! Had I known from your heading that you came from Liverpool then I would have understood your side of it all but here I live a very rural existence and although I too think that the Cinnabar Moth is very beautiful but I feel that they will do very well out of what is missed from the pulling-up sessions. I have my doubts that there are many people producing Hay on your allotments but hereabouts we produce acres of it!
JB.

[vivienz]

Hi Giulia,
Funnily enough, I've got a few of these stripey fellows on my allotment at the moment. I haven't got any ragwort, though, as they're munching their way through a poppy plant at the moment. they look like the caterpillar equivalent of tigers - grrr!! I haven't had the heart to pull the plant, so I've left it in the middle of my digging so that they can munch away.
Vivien

[Iain]

We too pull the ragwort by hand in the numerous corners the spray can't reach. Some job! But for years I thought it odd that none ever appeared in the goats' field...until I examined the turf closely one summer. All the plants were grazed to the ground. There's far more grass in the field than three pet goats can eat, by the way. So they're choosing the ragwort. They've never shown any signs of ill-effect.

[jane E]

We've just come back from Barra in the Outer Hebrides and were amazed to see ragwort in profusion and nothing being done about it. Does it affect pigs? I suppose I'm asking - Is it toxic to ALL animals. I know it's particularly dangerous to horses in hay.