Hi Everyone,
 
Many thanks for the info regarding the toxicity of honey produced from
ragwort.It is ok to eat and a copy of the UK Min of Ag report regarding
this subject can be found on
http://www.maff.gov.uk/food/infsheet/1995/no52/52honey.htm
The offending poster has now been removed from the local Post Office - when
I went to talk to the PO manager a local bee keeper was also in the shop
which helped convince him.
The poster was put up by an uninformed local person,featuring his own
distorted views and not the facts. He now has the honour of being the
person that tried to destroy our local honey industry and also frightening
parents into thinking that they may have poisoned there children.
For those of you that asked the Act of Parliament that he misinterpreted is
the Injurious Weeds Act of 1959.This gives the Ministry of Agriculture
powers to serve enforcement notices on landowners to remove 5 species of
plants that can be a danger to livestock.However the policy of the
Agricultural Departments is to become involved in cases where there is a
real threat to agricultural land or production.I other words I have some of
the plants growing in my garden but I don"t have to remove them as I have
no livestock, nobody else uses it for livestock and the plants aren't going
to be eaten by animals in the surrounding area.The five species listed in
The Act are spear thistle,Cirsium vulgare,Creeping thistle, Cirsium
arvense, Curled dock,Rumex crispus, Broad leaved dock, Rumex obtusifolius
and Common ragwort, Senecio jacobea.
This Act applies to England and Wales - I am not sure if Scotland adopted
this legislation as they have a different legal system.
Thanks again for helping clear up this matter my part of the world
certainly doesn't need another food scare. Especially one based on an
illinformed persons ignorant comments,
 
Cheers,
 
Vince
 
Vincent Smith, Pendeen, Cornwall, U.K.TR19 7SF
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