THE British Horse Society's anti-ragwort week proved so successful, another is to be held later in the summer.

It will be part of an on-going campaign by the society to tackle one of the countryside's great dangers to equines.

The society is alerting horse and landowners to tackle the poisonous weed in its rosette stage, before it has the chance to grow into the big, yellow flower with the potential to spread 150,000 seeds.

It will be targeting equestrian and farming communities with leaflets, mail shots and posters, and even visiting supermarket car parks to get its message across.

This year's first anti-ragwort week ended yesterday and was considered a great success. So much so, another is planned for September.

Vicky Beacon, communications executive of the British Horse Society, said: "The society has decided to re-focus its campaign following the success of our 'root out ragwort' week last summer. We were inundated with queries from the horse-owning public, worried that their pasture, or that of their neighbour, contained ragwort.

"There was great interest from the media who wanted TV and radio interviews. Members of the public even reported patches of ragwort growing round the back of supermarkets.

"We had such a tremendous response that it resulted in the Ragwort Control Act gaining Royal Assent, and the subsequent Code of Practice.

"This year, the society can concentrate on its core belief - that of prevention through education - and the key to this is alerting horse and landowners.

"The education weeks this year are the forerunner to a massive publicity campaign we are planning for 2006."

Ragwort contains highly poisonous toxins called pyrrolizidine alkaloids that, when ingested, result in liver failure.

The damage is irreversible. Toxins accumulate in the liver, building up throughout the animal's life and inhibiting the liver's own natural repair mechanisms until 75 per cent of the liver stops functioning. The clinical symptoms become apparent and the animal succumbs to a painful death.

Ms Beacon said the BHS did not want to eradicate the weed from conservation areas as some creatures such as moths depend upon it.

The Ragwort Control Act, passed last year after years of campaigning by the British Horse Society, means that Defra has the power to serve landowners with a clearance notice.

If the landowner does not respond, Defra has the power to call in a private contractor to do it for him and hand the bill to the landlord.

The BHS will also be carrying out a ragwort survey in order to establish how widespread the problem still is and how people are dealing with it.

THE British Horse Society's anti-ragwort week proved so successful, another is to be held later in the summer.

It will be part of an on-going campaign by the society to tackle one of the countryside's great dangers to equines.

The society is alerting horse and landowners to tackle the poisonous weed in its rosette stage, before it has the chance to grow into the big, yellow flower with the potential to spread 150,000 seeds.

It will be targeting equestrian and farming communities with leaflets, mail shots and posters, and even visiting supermarket car parks to get its message across.

This year's first anti-ragwort week ended yesterday and was considered a great success. So much so, another is planned for September.

Vicky Beacon, communications executive of the British Horse Society, said: "The society has decided to re-focus its campaign following the success of our 'root out ragwort' week last summer. We were inundated with queries from the horse-owning public, worried that their pasture, or that of their neighbour, contained ragwort.

"There was great interest from the media who wanted TV and radio interviews. Members of the public even reported patches of ragwort growing round the back of supermarkets.

"We had such a tremendous response that it resulted in the Ragwort Control Act gaining Royal Assent, and the subsequent Code of Practice.

"This year, the society can concentrate on its core belief - that of prevention through education - and the key to this is alerting horse and landowners.

"The education weeks this year are the forerunner to a massive publicity campaign we are planning for 2006."

Ragwort contains highly poisonous toxins called pyrrolizidine alkaloids that, when ingested, result in liver failure.

The damage is irreversible. Toxins accumulate in the liver, building up throughout the animal's life and inhibiting the liver's own natural repair mechanisms until 75 per cent of the liver stops functioning. The clinical symptoms become apparent and the animal succumbs to a painful death.

Ms Beacon said the BHS did not want to eradicate the weed from conservation areas as some creatures such as moths depend upon it.

The Ragwort Control Act, passed last year after years of campaigning by the British Horse Society, means that Defra has the power to serve landowners with a clearance notice.

If the landowner does not respond, Defra has the power to call in a private contractor to do it for him and hand the bill to the landlord.

The BHS will also be carrying out a ragwort survey in order to establish how widespread the problem still is and how people are dealing with it.