Author Topic: Livestock Transport Regs. (Read 16603 times)

mmu · « **on:** September 11, 2011, 10:55:45 am »

Apologies if this has been covered before but, does any one know the present requirements for hauling livestock. If so could you explain in idiot proof terms, i.e. licence required, age of driver, distances etc. Any difference in Scotland. Many Thanks.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #1 on:** September 11, 2011, 01:48:46 pm »

Well I can tell you about England.

(We've just been through the process of getting BH authorised for journeys over 65km, so have this part pretty well fathomed.)

All the regs apply to animals being transported in relation to an economic activity - so will generally apply to farmers but may not always apply to smallholders. There are exemptions for things like taking an animal to the vet and it seems there may also be an exemption for taking a single animal (or two animals if there are two keepers) - but please do your own research on this if you want to use this exemption. At present it looks to me as though some of the regulations do not apply to camelids - but again, please do your own research on this if you want to use this exemption.

When researching all of this for BH I found it absolutely mind-boggling. There are so many phrases, certificates, documents, authorities, I actually gave up trying to work it out twice before eventually getting to grips with it and getting it sorted for him. So to spare you having the same nightmare, I have written a checklist. Each of these is a different thing.

a. driving license
b. insurance
c. animal transport documentation for the journey
d. [certificate of] competence
e. [transporter] authorisation

(a) and (b) You will obviously need a full driving license and insurance to cover you for towing the trailer to be used. There are some limits on the type and weight of trailer which are dependent on the age of the driver - I don't have full details on this as, sadly, we are too old for it to be an issue for us. I think there will also be rules and regs about the type and weight of trailer in relation to the spec of the towing vehicle; again I don't have details on this.

(c) You will need an Animal Transport Certificate for any journey; this simply details the origin and ownership of animals; place of departure and destination; date and time of departure and expected duration of journey. If you are using a standard movement license then these details are on that and you do not need anything further in terms of the transport certificate.

At present a farmer needs no further license or anything to transport his or her own livestock on journeys of less than 50 km (which is just over 30 miles.)

If you want to transport livestock for distances over 65km ^(*), then you need (d) to hold a certificate of competence and (e) hold a transporter authorisation. Having both of these will allow you to take them on journeys up to 8 hours. Beyond that you need further tests and authorisations (including an authorisation for the vehicle to be used) but I don't have the full details.

(e) In order to get the transporter authorisation, which will last for 5 years, you need the certificate of competence. Then you just apply for the authorisation. Follow the link below to get the application form; the form has the details of where to send it once you have completed it.

(d) To get the certificate of competence (which will last forever once you have it) you need to take a test with an approved test centre. They will probably need to register you with either LANTRA or City & Guilds (NPTC) and then arrange the test for you. It's a multiple choice computerised test and takes about 40 minutes. There will be a fee to pay, usually one fee will cover sheep and cattle but an additional fee would be payable to cover each additional species (equine, porcine, etc.) Remember you only need the certificate if you are making these journeys in the course of an economic activity - taking your pony to a show is probably exempt (although if you are a breeder or make money from your ponies you should check this yourself.)

^(*) Please don't ask me to decipher the rules for journeys of 51 to 65km. I have no idea why they have two different distances!

Useful links:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/food-farm/animals/welfare/transport/transporter-authorisation/
http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/2011/06/13/pb13550-animal-welfare-transport/ (or better, navigate to it so you definitely get the up-to-date guidance. Currently you would go http://www.defra.go.uk then Publications > Food and Farming > Welfare of Animals During Transport)

http://www.lantra-awards.co.uk/
http://www.nptc.org.uk/

Hope that helps.
Wonko the Sane

mmu · « **Reply #2 on:** September 11, 2011, 02:08:17 pm »

Thanks, Sally for taking the time to type all of that. It's gonna take me a lot longer to get my befuddled head around it, but it is a good start.

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #3 on:** September 11, 2011, 06:23:38 pm »

when I tried to register for the various courses they asked me about our place and what we do and then told me that because the sheep are a hobby thing (ie a money pit :-))) I didnt need the course/authorisations. So I didnt do it in the end! Our abbatoir is just on the limit of the distance thing, but we dont go any further than that, so probably ok anyway.

wytsend · « **Reply #4 on:** September 13, 2011, 12:19:16 pm »

To add more confusion, there is a derogation in place for hobby breeders which allows them to transport their OWN animals without restriction on mileage for the purposes of abbatoir, shows, & curiously pleasure purposes.
This pretty much encompasses all hobby breeders needs.... it is a DEFRA derogation and somewhere I have a copy if anybody is interested.

It is correct the one person to one animal ruling regulation.... which again blows all the other rules out of the window.

The economic activity means you make a profit in the course of a year, so the rules do not apply to you if you are selling one or two animals to 'cover feed & bedding costs'. for the rest of your stock.

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #5 on:** September 13, 2011, 02:24:03 pm »

Hi Wytsend that would be v useful if you do have it as we only really do any trips of more than a few miles when we go to the abbatoir.

I can safely say we dont make a profit over the year so no risk of being an economic activity :-)) mind you all the feed suppliers, vets, fencing contractors, abbatoirs etc make a very nice economic activity from us so still contributing to the economy!

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #6 on:** September 13, 2011, 06:14:47 pm »

Re: being a business or not, I doubt if the rule is based on making a profit or not. For sure, if you are registered for and reclaim VAT you will be regarded as a business. Similarly if you file accounts for the farm / smallholding I would imagine that would constitute being a business.

violet · « **Reply #7 on:** September 13, 2011, 06:42:08 pm »

Sorry if this has been mentioned, but in a rush & just skimming,
take a look at the following found on the Tamworth Breeders site just here -
http://www.tamworthbreedersclub.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1282644519

As seen on the Berkshire Pig Breeders website, I thought this may help people needing to move pigs.
The Welfare in Transport (VVlT) team, part of the government's Animal Health Department, is now centralised in Carlisle. Responsible for enforcing the current rules for transportation of animals throughout the UK, they have declared that the transportation legislation does not apply in any form whatsoever so long as there are no more than 4 animals being transported at one time, and so long as there are as many people in the vehicle as there are animals in the lorry or trailer.

That's right, total exemption.

They say 'lf you are transporting one animal one person (up to a total of 4) then you are exempt from the regulations therefore you don't require a type 1 or a type 2 certificate of competence, journey log or vehicle approval.'
However they have not promoted this exemption, which could be so important to producers of rare breed animals selling breeding stock to purchasers over 65km away: a single animal exemption was mentioned buried in the 53-page booklet of general guidance on the regulations but even that exemption was and is still omitted completely from current species specific booklets like Welfare of Animals during transport - Advice for transporters of pigs'.

The WIT team says 'The current version of the 'Welfare of Animals During Transport Main Guidance' document makes no mention of the 4 animal limit, however, we are working on a revised version which is likely to be published imminently at which time this document will be updated on the website .... The (other) publications that you refer to were produced by Defra and are outwith Animal HeaIth's ability to revise. However, l have passed your comments on to Animal Welfare team within Defra.'
Please see the Berkshire Pig Breeders Website for the full details.

Hazelwood Flock · « **Reply #8 on:** September 20, 2011, 02:38:18 pm »

One thing I have noticed is that there is no national provision for recovery if you break down either towing a stock trailer or transporting animals in a pick-up. If you break down the vehicle can be recovered but not the livestock so you need a list of VERY good friends with stock transport to assist in a crisis! Somebody's missing a trick here......

Fowgill Farm · « **Reply #9 on:** September 21, 2011, 12:19:40 pm »

The NFU breakdown recovery package will recover stock trailers, we're with the NFU. and touch wood not had to use them, previously we had always been with the AA but discovered they wouldn't recover our animals if there was an incident. Contact your NFU rep for more info.
HTH
Mandy

landroverroy · « **Reply #10 on:** February 25, 2012, 04:14:23 pm »

I believe that many rules are made for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools.
The preceding posts give you a pretty good idea what a minefield this is.
If you have a road legal vehicle and trailer, suitable for the purpose of transporting the animals therein, together with the appropriate licence and insurance, then you are not likely to encounter a problem.
99.9% of the police, alone, are ignorant of every last detail of animal transportation so who is likely to stop you? And if you were stopped and found to be contravening these complicated regulations, then you would only get a warning anyway, unless you were doing something blatently wrong and stupid.

PLEASE NOTE. The above is only my opinion, - it's not written in tablets of stone and whether you follow my advice or not is a matter of complete indifference to me. So don't start slagging me off because you don't agree with me.

robert waddell · « **Reply #11 on:** February 25, 2012, 04:49:11 pm »

i am in complete agreement landroverry modern agric tractors are limited to 24 tons gross yet they are platted for 32 tons dependent on model have been stopped with with more than the gross agric weight and waved on our way
do not try this yourself you could maybe meet the PC that is aware of all the laws
back to towing if all looks correct and is taxed insured and mot ed the only time you could be asked about the legality's is in the event of an accident on my extensive travels the vehicles that i have seen stopped are ones with obvious faults or speeders