Sir, – In response to Philip O’Reilly’s letter (July 24th), there is no doubt that this weed causes damage, predominantly to livestock who consume it. Indeed is has been illegal since 1936 (Noxious Weeds Act) to allow ragwort to grow on your land.
Researchers at CELLS research group at Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre (a collaboration between Limerick Institute of Technology and the Institute of Technology, Tralee) have been investigating ways to derive value from this weed. Ongoing research into potential beneficial uses for ragwort has identified a number of molecules with potential for use in the biotechnology sector.
There may be value to this noxious weed yet! – Yours, etc,