Grazing Ecology of Sheep and Its Impact on Vegetation and Animal Health on Pastures Dominated by Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea L.)—Part 2: Animal Health

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Common ragwort (Senecio jacobaea L.) contains potentially toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA). Occurring on sites of roughage production, it contaminates the harvest. Regardless of fresh or dried intake, ragwort may result in fatal liver cirrhosis in livestock animals. Controlling ragwort, especially without biocides in nature conservation areas, is difficult. Since sheep seemed more resistant to PA in experiments, we tested how this animal species copes with ragwort under field and free-choice conditions. On a ragwort-rich pasture with a stocking density of 12 sheep/hectare, animals grazed for six months over two grazing seasons. From 70 sheep in the beginning, seven were slaughtered every six weeks for analysis of liver parameters, including seven control animals in the beginning of each grazing season. We addressed two questions: (1) To what extent do sheep voluntarily ingest ragwort on contaminated pastures? (2) Which impact on animal health does this grazing behavior have? Sheep ingested large amounts of ragwort, exceeding the assumed lethal dose established under experimental conditions by up to 200%. Behavior, body condition, and liver enzymes mainly remained unchanged. From the point of view of animal health and nature conservation, sheep grazing might be an option to reduce the amount of ragwort on pastures. ABSTRACT: Common ragwort (Senecio jacobaea L.) naturally occurs on species-rich grasslands. Containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA), it endangers livestock health through contaminated feed. Although in vitro studies showed a detoxification capacity of PA in sheep, few field data are available on the ability of grazing sheep to cope with ragwort. During two grazing seasons on a ragwort-rich pasture, we studied: (1) To what extent do sheep voluntarily ingest ragwort and (2) What impact their grazing behavior has on animal health. Ragwort intake was monitored by counting missing plant parts and calculating their weight. From 70 sheep, seven were slaughtered at the beginning and in six-week intervals at the end of each grazing period to monitor blood parameters and liver tissue. Sheep continuously preferred ragwort. The daily intake was above the currently assumed lethal dose, varying between 0.2–4.9 kg per sheep. Clinical, hematologic, and blood biochemistry parameters mostly remained within the reference limits. Initially elevated liver copper content declined over time. The liver of all 70 animals displayed slight to moderate hepatitis, fibrosis, and proliferation of the bile ducts, but no morphological signs of liver cirrhosis. Sheep preferred and tolerated ragwort, making their grazing an option to control ragwort from both an animal health and nature conservation perspective.