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Written Question
Ragwort: Weed Control
Tuesday 28th October 2025

Asked by: Lord Colgrain (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the spread of ragwort.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The published Ragwort code of practice (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5cd93824e5274a38bf503d1d/code-of-practice-on-how-to-prevent-the-spread-of-ragwort.pdf ) is in place to provide advice to landowners and managers to prevent ragwort spreading where it presents a high risk of poisoning horses and livestock or spreading to fields used for the production of forage.

Written Question
Ragwort
Monday 21st October 2024

Asked by: Lord Colgrain (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce legislation to impose legal duties on landowners for the purpose of restricting the growth of ragwort.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

There are no plans to issue legislation to impose legal duties on landowners to restrict the growth of ragwort. The Government’s ‘Code of Practice on How to Prevent the Spread of Ragwort’ (see attached) sets out guidance for landowners on when and how common ragwort should be removed, taking into account both animal welfare and environmental considerations.

The Code does not seek to eradicate common ragwort, but only seeks to control its spread where it poses a high risk of spreading to agricultural land, for example land used for grazing.

Speech in Grand Committee - Thu 09 Jun 2022
Tree Health in England

"My Lords, I declare my interest as a woodland owner, sadly with far too many dead and dying ash trees in the woods. Shortly after the then Prime Minister David Cameron asked us all to hug a hoodie, I was told that hugging an ash tree was an indication as …..."
Lord Colgrain - View Speech

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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 01 Nov 2021
Trees: Ips typographus

"To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the arrival of the tree beetle Ips typographus in spruce trees in the southeast of England on the timber industry in the United Kingdom; and what steps they are taking to prevent further damage...."
Lord Colgrain - View Speech

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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 01 Nov 2021
Trees: Ips typographus

"My Lords, I refer to my interests in the register. I am grateful to my noble friend the Minister for his reply and to the officials from Defra and the Forestry Commission, who are being so effective in endeavouring to contain the current infestations to prevent a further catastrophe that …..."
Lord Colgrain - View Speech

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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 01 Nov 2021
Farming Rules for Water

"Have the Government considered using a risk-based approach to the autumn application of organic material? This would allow continued application of such organic material in the autumn on arable land where the risk to water is considered low, rather than the current blanket ban. It would also assist to reduce …..."
Lord Colgrain - View Speech

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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 24 May 2021
Environmental Land Management Schemes

"I welcome the Minister to his new role. Will he confirm that the results of the ELMS trials will be available to all and, in particular, that it will be possible to compare like-for-like soil types and typographies? Will he also confirm the possibility of carbon credits being applied more …..."
Lord Colgrain - View Speech

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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 14 Dec 2020
Environmental Land Management Schemes

"Can the Minister please confirm that all the information gathered from the ELMS pilot tests and trials will in due course become available to the public? Can he also indicate when sufficient information will become available about eligibility for tree planting under the schemes, given that we are already half …..."
Lord Colgrain - View Speech

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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 10 Jun 2020
Agriculture Bill

"My Lords, I refer to my farming interests as set out in the register. There are a number of aspects of this Bill that are causing concern to the farming community and on which I have had many representations. I am sure that many noble Lords will want to continue …..."
Lord Colgrain - View Speech

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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 13 Feb 2020
Tree Pests and Diseases

"My Lords, it is sobering to consider that not many of us alive today remember what the English countryside looked like before the ravages of Dutch elm disease. It is for those of us who do remember to draw a parallel between that cataclysm and the one we are told …..."
Lord Colgrain - View Speech

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