The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Black Sheep on December 13, 2015, 10:28:33 pm
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As we're still in the process of sorting out some land due to an unfortunate delay I've been stuck with reading about things rather than doing them. One tricky subject seems to be the rules and requirements for animal transport. So since it's been wet and wild out I thought I would pore over the various documents and try to get my head round what is needed.
Have I read them correctly and is my summary correct? Corrections welcome! Hope it is useful to others :)
Magnus
PS posted here as it seems to be the busiest animal forum and I didn't think it fitted well under any of the more generic headings but feel free to move if best elsewhere
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Hi Magnus,
not quite sure what you are finding "tricky" about livestock movements? Have you got a movement planned? Is there something specific that you are unsure about?
The main areas to consider if you are moving animals for the first time are,
recording movements, have you done the paperwork? Registered the holding or the herd?
appropriate handling of livestock, do you know what is permitted, a cattle prod? lifting young pigs etc
safety in transit, do they have horns, are they pregnant, can young ones be trampled or crushed?
comfort, do you need a deep bed, rubber matting on a ramp etc.
is it a long journey, will they need a break for food and water?
hygiene, cleaning the transport to prevent disease transmission.
HTH
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Hi Magnus, your best bet is to go onto the DEFRA site, put in Livestock Transport and search there rather than blowing your brains by reading through all those regulations you pulled out, on their site is all the info you will need to comply with the law, Buffy has nicely laid out a lot of the points you will need to consider as well and I have no doubt you will get a lot more info posted on here to assist you. In most cases common sense prevails.
Hope this helps you.
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Yes the DEFRA guidelines are the best place for a summary and the key points are as given above. My version:
All the documents can easily be done on line once you have registered your CPH.
A good livestock trailer or other purpose built transporter is really useful
If you are transporting them yourself it is very straightforward
Be aware that long journeys may need breaks
If you are not commercial documentation is the same but design of transport and other aspects are 'good practice' rather than covered by regs. My take on that is if the authorities believe you have an animal welfare issue you will have to justify what you are doing, otherwise you should be ok
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Only "tricky" as there have been numerous previous threads about transport rules, which highlights uncertainty, and that the official guidance is in parts contradictory - isn't it always? :)
Thanks for the comments and tips about the practical aspects, that's the next bit to think more about (and the implications e.g. for what sort of trailer would be most useful to us and so on). I had just started with the "what rules apply" aspects because it struck me how we could easily have fallen foul (no pun intended!) of the regulations when we bought our ducks.
65km isn't a long way and our journey home was very close to this threshold so if we were selling eggs and lived a few more miles up the road we would have needed official authorisations and certificates of competence to take them home.
The species-specific DEFRA guides referenced are very easy to read and helpful and cover lots of the areas you mention.
Magnus
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Hi,
Can someone please help me decipher the legislation? I want to buy 20 sheep and have a local farmer move them about 100 miles. The guy is not a licensed haulier but moves his own livestock so knows about welfare etc. We are going to breed them for ourselves, not as a business. Are we allowed to transport them that way with our local guy or do we need to get a licensed transport (which we provably can't afford).
Thanks in advance.
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To be legal your friend should have got his basic sheep welfare transport certificate. Here the NFU arranged for all farmers to do them at central points in the area when the legislation was brought in so your friend may have attended one in his area.
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Agree with Buttermilk. Sheep haulage is not generally expensive, though.
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Our land agent confirmed ( we are in farming just not livestock) that as we are hobby breeders we'd be exempt from certain requirements. I have no doubt that our guy knows how to transport the sheep safely but he may not have such a certificate. Confusing.
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"You" as the keeper might well be exempt, but unless you are the driver that's no help to you. If someone else moves your stock then they have to be certified because it's not their stock.
Can't you borrow a trailer and move them yourself?
If you are unclear it would be best to ring your local animal health dept and they can tell you what your options are. :)
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At the risk of sounding cavalier - my take is that rules are made for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools.
So - I'm not saying ignore the rules, by all means be aware of them. But to me it is more important in this case to follow the spirit of the law rather than the letter.
In reply to xukc I would say get your sheep moved by your farmer friend. He keeps livestock and you are confident he'll move them properly so what's the problem? Don't the sheep come first here? Are they going to be moved any better by someone with a bit of paper? That won't stop an impatient haulier kicking them up the backside when you're not there because he's in a rush to get to his next location. (I'm not saying it happens - just that a bit of paper doesn't mean superior treatment)
Look at all the posts on here from people unsure of the exact rules. :relief: Do you honestly think that police or Trading Standards are any better informed? Of course they're not! So unless your man is doing something obviously illegal - how on earth are they going to know? And in the worst case and highly unlikely scenario of getting stopped for a spot check by the one person in the county who has an inckling of the regs - it's hardly a hanging offence!
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Our land agent confirmed ( we are in farming just not livestock) that as we are hobby breeders we'd be exempt from certain requirements. I have no doubt that our guy knows how to transport the sheep safely but he may not have such a certificate. Confusing.
He might.
People move animals all the time with and without the certificate. Those of us with appear to be rarely asked to produce one.
Make sure you have a movement licence in place and go for it.
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Having just had my Animal Health inspection this morning, and being questioned about a close-to-65km journey I made recently, and advised to get the transporters authority and certificate of competence for next time .... I would err on the side of caution.... I asked her about being a "hobbyist" and she said that it's a hard one to differentiate and that it would be up to the courts to decide whether you were commercial or not. (!)
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Could your friend take them to his place for 7 days? Then another movement licence to you.
Whether physically or not is the question ;)
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I took the test and have my NPTC sticker on the side of my towing vehicle and use a long Winter evening to fill in the basic details on a pile of AML1's for the coming year. I just can't be bothered with the hassle if I'm stopped..
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I took the test and have my NPTC sticker on the side of my towing vehicle and use a long Winter evening to fill in the basic details on a pile of AML1's for the coming year. I just can't be bothered with the hassle if I'm stopped..
Sticker? Why do I not have a sticker? I want a sticker!
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I took the test and have my NPTC sticker on the side of my towing vehicle and use a long Winter evening to fill in the basic details on a pile of AML1's for the coming year. I just can't be bothered with the hassle if I'm stopped..
Sticker? Why do I not have a sticker? I want a sticker!
I didn't get a sticker either >:(
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For those who have passed the test (sticker or no sticker), did you attend a recognised course or just read up yourself and take the test at a recognised assessment centre?
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I would like a sticker too!
But to answer your question PK, I did a course which took most of the morning, held on a farm in Cambridgeshire. Then everyone on the course did the tests. The course was for transportation of Horses, Sheep & Goats, Pigs, Cattle and Poultry.
It was pretty comprehensive. Cannot remember the exact cost, but it was not too expensive and well worth the money in my opinion.
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I didn't do a course, but did the test through our local machinery ring, and they emailed out all the reading when I signed up.