Campaigners have welcomed the Government’s return to enforcing the law on ragwort, by reopening its complaints procedure from April.
The Countryside Alliance was among those that raised concerns about the fact Natural England had stopped accepting complaints about ragwort, in September. Natural England is the Government body responsible for enforcing the Weeds Act, under which owners of land at risk of spread of injurious weeds including ragwort can insist on its being controlled – but only after Natural England takes action.
Alliance member Christopher Jenkin, a farmer in Wiltshire, raised the alarm when he was affected by ragwort spreading from a neighbouring field.
South Cotswolds PM Roz Savage submitted a written parliamentary question asking what action was being taken and the Government responded: “Natural England (NE) is dealing with historic weeds complaints but is not currently taking new complaints. This is a temporary measure while NE reviews with Defra the approach to addressing injurious weeds, to improve access to appropriate advice and guidance and ensure enforcement resources are targeted most effectively.”
But Mr Jenkin pointed out that Natural England already had an “off season” for complaints, from October to March, and “it seems difficult to explain why any review of its approach could not have been conducted in that period”.
A Countryside Alliance spokesperson said: “Since then, the alliance has been pushing Defra and Natural England to commit to re-opening its complaints procedure and cease to abdicate its responsibilities in this area.
“While the ‘off season’ remains, the government website has now been updated, and complaints will once again be accepted between 1 April and 30 October 2026. Natural England will aim to respond to valid complaint forms within 10 working days.”
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The spokesperson said the alliance will continue to monitor the situation. Director of public affairs James Legge added: “We were deeply concerned at the sudden suspension of the complaints process in September and took action to ensure it was eventually re-opened, providing much needed clarity to farmers and landowners”.
Updated information on the injurious weeds complaints process has been published on the Government website.
“Accessible guidance for complainants and land managers will be made available in advance of April,” a Defra spokesperson told H&H. “Where appropriate action cannot be agreed voluntarily and complaints have been accepted by Natural England, we consider action in line with our enforcement position.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
