The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Oopsiboughtasheep on December 12, 2014, 02:16:17 pm
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As a newbie to sheep I am trying to make sure that I am keeping the necessary records for my 4 girls. I have completed the Medicines Book following recent worming, recording what and where I got stuff from and then the details of the specific administration etc. I have also completed my Holding Register and kept animal purchase docs etc. plus returned my Annual Inventory paperwork.
However, someone told me that I also need to keep a record of what feed I give them, where I got it from, batch numbers etc. but I can't see where I should record this. Maybe its here somewhere but I just cant find it. Can someone point me in the right direction please? I'm only feeding them a handful of sheep nuts each evening to keep them easy to handle/check over plus a bit of hay when it was very frosty (I assume digestive biscuits don't count or else I shall have to put 'TESCO' under the suppliers heading!)
They are only 'mowers' so not for meat but I want to be sure that I record the correct things from the start to avoid a potential muddle later on.
Very many thanks.
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What about filing the receipts of the food you feed them, I don't think digestives should count, just the sheep feed you buy. Are you VAT registered as you could claim back any VAT on the sheep feed. Also what about a computer data base for keeping records of the sheep, who is born to who, etc, etc.
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There is no legal requirement to record what you feed your sheep. Only medicines are required to be recorded.
You might want to keep a record of your outgoings though. (there is no VAT on sheep feed)
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Thank you for your help Foobar and Waterbuffalofarmer.
I'm not VAT registered so it sounds like I can just forget about the feed records then if not a requirement to make a note of it.
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There is no legal requirement to record what you feed your sheep. Only medicines are required to be recorded.
You might want to keep a record of your outgoings though. (there is no VAT on sheep feed)
My bad I have someone who buys it for me and someone who does my accounts, I just do the feeding.
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When you buy a sack of feed you will see a ticket sown to the seem at the top.
This has all the info on it.
Got to be honest I do not record any info of this type.
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When we had our inspection, the man most definitely wanted to see the feed records, as well as see where it was all stored, separate bins for each species. We had kept all the sewn in labels from feed sacks, just in a Tupperware box in the feed store, plus all the receipts from the supplier in a file in the house. I think you only have to keep feed info for 3 years.
Maybe my inspector was overzealous, but I prefer to be prepared.
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We have certainly been expected to provide a feeding plan and show all records of what feed we have purchased, and show that it is suitably stored on each inspection. We got in trouble last time for having a lightbulb in the feed store without an outer cover in case the bulb blew, which was fair enough.
The feeding plan is just a list of groups and quantities, e.g. ewes in first hay field, 2 buckets of ewe rolls etc. This is expected for welfare reasons, so that if you were ever suddenly incapacitated, someone could carry on feeding them the same rations.
For feed records, I just have a ring binder where I put the paper tickets off the feed, and then the invoice when it comes. Having the batch number can be invaluable, for instance if you are unlucky enough to buy a batch which has accidentally had highly toxic levels of copper added to it, which not only severely damages your flock, but also all your future breeding plans. It can happen.
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Thank you again for more replies and information.
I think I will just make a brief note each time in my Sheepy ring binder then and keep the tickets off the bags. I'd rather do it and not need it than not do it and be asked at an inspection later. I do keep the feed in an enclosed and separate bin from the horse feed and thankfully the lights have protected covers on them. Its useful to know what is looked for at inspections. I am grateful for all the advice.
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we make our own meal and all the ingredients are grown , dried and crushed on our property...so dont think feed records with batch numbers would work for us...
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we kept a record of batch numbers of the feeds we bought - best practise. we buy from harbros usually and they also record our details incase any feed is recalled.
a simple folder for each species is sufficient IMO.
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When we had cattle and milled our home grown feed we had to keep a sample of each batch. Boxes of little plastic bags of mix ideal mouse attractant. They had their own fridge to live in to keep the mooses out.
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There is no legal requirement to record what you feed your sheep. Only medicines are required to be recorded.
You might want to keep a record of your outgoings though. (there is no VAT on sheep feed)
Seems a sensible answer.
In the animals are for your own consuption, using already mixed feed and you're not in any schemes then I'd have thought that would suffice.
If not, then techncially I think you could be asked for some evidence at inspection:
https://www.gov.uk/food-safety-farmed-meat-farm-produce-and-animal-feed (https://www.gov.uk/food-safety-farmed-meat-farm-produce-and-animal-feed)
Just keep a record of what you've bought from who and when, the expiry on them, and a copy of a typical contents. Not too onerous and useful for your own planning/finances.
Decent storage is pretty obvious, but the stuff about lights seems a bit over the top. I've got a generator I can ring up to some basic lights I can rig up if needed but it's noisy and needs ventilation. I use the 24 LED lights from pound shops most of the time.
I'm guessing a lot of people don't bother.
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If you mix your own feed then you may be inspected under the Feed Regs, if you use medicated feed for any animal, most likely pigs and poultry then the inspection is to ensure that medicated feed stuffs are not mixed up with, nor fed to animals going to slaughter for human consumption.
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Storage of feed yes, I can see they would want to see that. But yeah, you'd have to be in a "scheme" (cross compliance for single farm payments, or red tractor etc) ...and said scheme would no doubt document what records you would need to be keeping.
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We are not in any schemes and still had our feedstuffs inspection. I truly think it's best to simply keep the records then you don't have to worry.
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we had a no-prior-notice inspection once, they took large samples of all the feeds, then we got a certified/approved letter through the post.
remember to keep different species feeds a metre apart - or definitely keep the pigs/hens away from the ruminants feed.
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Can I ask why they need to inspect what you feed your sheep? I feed mine sugarbeet pellets and feed blocks plus hay in winter I feed my lambs growers, when they're small, then sugarbeet when they're older. I have a grass based system in summer and only feed them come winter through to spring. The lambs get growers throughout the year to help em grow faster. I've never heard of them inspecting feed unless you feed animals heavily, constantly and in a commercial system.
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im not sure,
we were new in the area and had small numbers of sheep, poultry and pigs. they were rather concerned with the fishmeal that could be in some feeds being fed to the wrong species. it was 10 yrs ago now. we only bought feed from harbros, didn't mix feeds, and didn't even buy fishmeal. :thinking:
better to keep batch numbers, doesn't take long.
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If I were to keep all copies of my feed records - I would need to build an extension just for that... ::)
Also - no feed labels on straights... only a stamp on the bag with BBE date.... I am not cutting that out, as all my paper bags are used for fleeces, stuff in general, like lining beds in the veg garden.
Anyway if you don't get subsidies - what can they do, no money to stop...
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I found this document from my local trading standards (never seen it before today mind!):
http://www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/Documents/Working/Business%20Support/Trading%20Standards/Food%20and%20feed%20hygeine%20gudie%20for%20livestock%20farmers.pdf (http://www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/Documents/Working/Business%20Support/Trading%20Standards/Food%20and%20feed%20hygeine%20gudie%20for%20livestock%20farmers.pdf)
Under records it does say: "the nature and origin of the feed fed to livestock"
When I was inspected a few years ago I don't think they asked for records, they only asked if I only fed bagged feeds from the agri merchant, and checked how it was stored.
For those with small numbers of animals I think if you just keep a record of your puchases, i.e. 10 bags of XYZ Sheep feed from Agri merchants ABC, dated, that will probably be sufficient. Recording batch numbers seems a bit over the top.
It looks like its an EU regulation now rather than a hoop that you have to jump through in order to get subsidies. :(
There are other docs here with more details: http://www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/farmingfood/animalfeed/animalfeedlegislation/guidfarm (http://www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/farmingfood/animalfeed/animalfeedlegislation/guidfarm) &
http://www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/farmingfood/primprodqanda
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I have been inspected never questioned about feed, but after some of the comments on here I phoned up the SERAD office at Thainstone and was asked what feed I used, I buy from Harbro I was told about keeping receipts but all my invoices go to the accountant. There did not seem to be any problem.
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I have been inspected never questioned about feed, but after some of the comments on here I phoned up the SERAD office at Thainstone and was asked what feed I used, I buy from Harbro I was told about keeping receipts but all my invoices go to the accountant. There did not seem to be any problem.
I keep a photocopy of invoices in a separate folder, then you can send the original off to your accountant, but still have the info. I just copy them on my cheapo printer.
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I once had a feed inspection, was a little amusing....
They wanted to see that I was storing the pig feed with the correct label (which I had done) but away seperatly from my "sheep feed"
I explained I did not have any sheep feed apart from lifeline buckets which I bought in the spring so didn't have any of these at the moment, she wasnt sure wether she should belive me......she wanted feed samples however so I offered her some of the hens mixed corn, which she settled for as she was meant to bring back a few samples as I had pigs and sheep......