A BID to protect weed now rampant on Petersfield Heath and that can kill cattle and horses was dismissed and efforts to eradicate it by pulling it up are set to continue.
Ragwort is a yellow weed that can grow several feet high, but if livestock eat enough of it, it can kill can kill the animal.
In the past Petersfield Town Council, who manages the heath, has worked to remove it completely by having it pulled up, either by volunteers from Friends of the Heath (FoH), or more recently the council’s grounds team.
But at the council’s grounds meeting on Thursday, October 13, members heard that the weed was home to insects and had biodiverse benefits.
FoH member environmentalist Robin Hart from Petersfield suggested that it should be allowed to flourish on parts of the heath a safe distance from neighbouring fields in Sussex Road and Heath Road East.
During the debate it was pointed out that complete removal of the ragwort could be damaging to the ecology of the heath, but it was also recognised that it was a danger to livestock in nearby fields.
Members then voted on a proposal to set aside protected areas of the heath for the ragwort, but the vote was split equally, with three councillors voting for the proposal and three against it.
Committee chairman Cllr Jamie Matthews declined to use his deciding vote to settle the issue, so the council policy remains as it was, that all ragwort should be removed from the heath.