THE British Horse Society is running its Root Out Ragwort Week for the fifth year running, starting tomorrow.

The aim is to raise awareness of the dangerous weed - a tall, attractive, yellow plant - which is now filling roadside verges and fields. It is poisonous to all livestock, and humans too, and it is an offence not to comply with clearance notices.

Death by ragwort poisoning is agonising for the animal and it can take months or even years before the liver damage is irreversible.

Kerstin Alford, head of welfare, said: "Ragwort is a perennial problem and needs to be dealt with every year. Ideally the plant should be dug up or sprayed or totally removed from pasture each spring, prior to flowering. Pulling up ragwort at its flowering stage is a short-term defensive measure, but at least it prevents it from seeding and spreading over large areas."

You must wear gloves to pull up ragwort and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.

The plant must be removed from pasture and burnt as it is more palatable when dead, but just as deadly. Some horses have died from eating it in their hay during the winter.

A test is now available through the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service which detects ragwort in hay or haylage samples. The cost is £35 and up to 20-25 samples can be dealt with for the same fee, so a group of horse owners can share the cost.

ADAS will donate £1 to the Ragwort Trust at Liverpool University for each test it carries out. The trust aims to develop a blood test to detect early signs of ragwort poisoning.

Ragwort found in hay should be reported to the local trading standards office. ADAS can be contacted on 01902 693229.