Young animals are more easily poisoned than mature animals. Pastures for horses and cattle with over 5 percent tansy ragwort content should be avoided until the tansy ragwort has been controlled. Tansy ragwort can be suppressed by grazing with sheep or goats.

Is ragwort toxic to sheep?

It is poisonous to livestock. Eating ragwort can lead to liver damage which cannot be treated. Cattle and horses are particularly susceptible to poisoning by common ragwort but sheep are also susceptible. ... Dried and dying ragwort is also dangerous because it is more palatable to livestock than the living plant.

How does ragwort affect sheep?

Ragwort contains a number of poisonous alkaloids, but sheep and goats are less susceptible to the effects of these alkaloids than cattle. ... Although a poisonous weed, animals likely to be affected by the toxins simply refuse to eat it, so animal deaths from eating ragwort are not common.