The Law
Ragwort is one of five injurious weeds covered by The Weeds Act 1959. Under the Weeds Act 1959, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs may serve an enforcement notice on the occupier of the land on which injurious weeds are growing, requiring the occupier to take action to prevent the spread of injurious weeds.
The Weeds Act enables Defra to investigate complaints where there is a risk that injurious weeds might spread. Defra gives priority to investigating complaints where there is a risk of weeds spreading to land used for grazing horses or livestock, land used for forage production and other agricultural activities.
