Anyone who has driven out of Dublin in recent months will have seen a haze of yellow colour in some of the fields along the roadside. The vibrant colour was generated by the buachalán bui, or ragwort, a highly poisonous plant that damages the livers of animals that eat it.
Along with the dock and thistle, it is an offence to allow the plant to grow unchecked under the Noxious Weeds Act of 1936. And farmers, occupiers and local authorities can be fined for doing so.
More threatening to humans is the giant hogweed. This dangerous and invasive species is not even categorised as a noxious weed. Sap from the plant damages the skin and makes it sensitive to ultraviolet light, causing an effect like painful and permanent sunburn. It has been steadily colonising the banks of rivers and canals as the Departments of Health, Marine and Agriculture pass the buck as to which of them should take responsibility for eradicating it. Twenty years ago, the dangers were first raised in the Dáil. Since then, uncounted numbers of country visitors have been injured in brushing past the waterside plants that can grow to 15 feet tall. And bureaucracy continues to prevaricate.
There is an urgent need to establish an up-to-date list of noxious and invasive plants and create a new, properly-funded framework for controlling and - hopefully - eradicating them. Japanese knotweed is widespread. One of the most invasive plants in the world, it is capable of bursting through tarmac and house foundations. Gunnera, which looks like giant rhubarb, is spreading in the west of Ireland and particularly in Achill, where efforts at controlling it are underway. Various exotic pond weeds are threatening to carpet our lakes and waterways. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has become involved in counteracting these threats, along with the Heritage Council, Botanic Gardens, inland fisheries and some local authorities. But the response has been piecemeal and lacking in adequate Government support.
In the past, the Garda Síochána represented the first line of defence against the spread of noxious weeds. Farmers who ignored the law were prosecuted. That rarely happens any more. And the situation has grown far more complex. A more focused approach is required, bringing together relevant agencies and specifying a new list of dangerous and invasive plants. For the Department of Agriculture to remind farmers their Single Payment Premiums may be reduced if they fail to keep the land in good order is all very well. But a more robust and comprehensive approach is required to counteract dangerous and invasive weeds.