Lamb deaths linked to poisonous plant

A poisonous plant is causing lamb deaths in flocks across northern England.

The yellow-flowering plant, which is rapidly spreading across boggy upland areas, has an irresistible attraction to young lambs because of the palatability of its leaves. Older sheep are unaffected.

Hill farms in Cumbria with boggy areas have always been aware of the risks posed by bog asphodel and have undertaken a late spring “sowt gather” – the local term used when ewes and lambs are brought off the fell during the time the plant poses the biggest risk to young lambs.

But bog asphodel is now spreading over larger areas of upland grazing – a situation some believe is the result of higher rainfall creating more areas of boggy land and the reduction in sheep numbers to meet the requirements of environmental schemes.

Toxins within the leaves of the plant cause kidney failure and affect other internal organs. Affected lambs fail to thrive and in extreme cases die but the most gruesome symptoms are caused by photosensitisation, which leaves the animal’s skin sensitive to sunlight.

The “burning” that results causes lamb’s ears to become “crispy” and eventually drop off. There’s also severe scorching of the skin on the back and wool loss.

Over the years, various treatments have been tried but none have worked. Now the only option left to farmers is to bring vulnerable lambs off the fell with the ewes in late spring.

An emergency meeting organised by Cumbria Farmer Network this week saw farmers, vets and conservationists discussing the increasing spread of the bog asphodel plant and the losses it’s causing to hill flocks across the county as well as in Lancashire, Co Durham and Northumberland.

Stephen Lord, farm manager at Forest Hall, Selside, near Kendal and Gaythorne Hall Farm, Great Asby, hosted this week’s emergency meeting.

“The plant is spreading to new areas all the time so we’ve got to find a solution,” he said.

“Natural England has helped us and we’ve fenced off part of the fell but the plant is still spreading to new areas of boggy ground.”