Spray ragwort early before flowering

Treating ragwort with herbicide will be most effective in May and June when the plant is at the rosette stage and is actively growing. Waiting until flowering can result in poorer control and takes longer for the plant to decay and disappear. 

If consumed, ragwort poses a serious poisoning threat to cattle and sheep. It becomes even more attractive and palatable when cut for hay or silage. 

"Common ragwort is normally biennial, with the seed germinating in the first year and forming a small rosette of leaves 10-12cm in diameter," explains Corteva field technical manager Ryan Came-Johnson. 

"In its second year the rosette grows and forms a central stem which elongates to a height of 30-90 cm high. Additional leafy side branches form and flowering buds develop on the top branches. 

"Spray application timing is crucial to achieve good levels of control. Late spring and early summer are usually the best months to do this."

Best way to control

Mechanical topping and pulling up ragwort plants by hand is time consuming and is not practical with larger populations. Treating with an effective herbicide which translocates throughout the plant, reaching down into the roots, is preferred. 

Forefront T is particularly active on ragwort and gives fast control. It also works on many other problem weeds, including docks, nettles, thistles, buttercup and dandelions. It has an application rate of 2 litres (l)/ha in 300l of water, or 200l where drift reduction nozzles are being used. 

Forefront T must only be applied to ground grazed by cattle or sheep which, in the absence of ragwort, need only be removed from the field for seven days. 

"But if there was ragwort in the treated field, livestock must be kept out until all the ragwort has died and completely rotted down or removed," says Ryan. "This is because it is even more poisonous at this stage." 

Ragwort from neighbouring farms

The Weeds Act 1959 allows the government to serve a notice requiring the occupier of land with extensive amounts of ragwort growing on it, to stop it encroaching onto neighbouring land or grazing areas.  

Following a suspension of the complaints process late last year, Natural England reopened the process regarding ragwort enforcement from 1 April 2026. 

This will remain open until 30 October 2026. While not a legal notifiable weed, there is a legal requirement not to allow it to spread and so it must be effectively controlled.