The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Ace on July 08, 2011, 11:56:16 pm

Title: how to go about keeping a few pigs
Post by: Ace on July 08, 2011, 11:56:16 pm

hi just bought a new place 3 acres of land with it,got a holding number how do i go about letting the correct people know I'm keeping pigs ?

Title: Re: how to go about keeping a few pigs
Post by: SallyintNorth on July 09, 2011, 12:42:31 am

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Quote from: Ace on July 08, 2011, 11:56:16 pm

hi just bought a new place 3 acres of land with it,got a holding number how do i go about letting the correct people know I'm keeping pigs ?

You don't say where you are, so apologies if I have assumed Britain incorrectly.

Do you mean you already have pigs?  If so, there should have been a movement license to move them on to your land. 

Best you have a look at the BPA site guidance http://www.britishpigs.org.uk/pedigree%20traceability.htm (http://www.britishpigs.org.uk/pedigree%20traceability.htm) - it's talking about pedigree herds but the same rules apply regarding letting Defra know you have pigs whether they're pedigree or mutts.

Hope that helps
Sally

Title: Re: how to go about keeping a few pigs
Post by: Tudful Tamworths on July 09, 2011, 12:52:36 am

Step 1: get a CPH (County Parish Holding) number from Defra, Welsh Assembly, etc
Step 2: get a herd number from your local Animal Health office (above will give you the contact details)

As posted earlier, all movements of livestock have to be recorded (by sending the relevant forms - in this case the top copy of the AML 2) to your local trading standards. In addition, you have to keep your own movement book (whether a computer file or an actual book you write in), which records moves on and off, births and deaths.

Hope this helps. A bit of a nightmarish journey, I know. Why the CPH and herd number can't be dealt with in one place, nobody seems to know!

Good luck with the pigs
Liz

Title: Re: how to go about keeping a few pigs
Post by: Tiva Diva on July 10, 2011, 09:36:36 am

You will also need to keep an Animal Medicines Record Book. Your local Trading Standards department may be able to give you one but you can download one as a pdf from the internet (google "animal medicine record book).
Liz, one reason the CPH and the Herd No. are dealt with by different departments is the CPH goes with the land but the herdmark goes with you, so if you move farms/smallholdings you change CPH numbers but keep your herdmark.
Best of luck with your pigs, Ace!
BTW, if you decide to get sheep, goats or other livestock later you will need a separate flock number.

Title: Re: how to go about keeping a few pigs
Post by: Tudful Tamworths on July 10, 2011, 02:01:35 pm

I realise that, thanks. But you would think there would be some channel of communication so that you could have a one-stop-shop. But, then, that would be asking a lot, wouldn't it?

Title: Re: how to go about keeping a few pigs
Post by: Tiva Diva on July 10, 2011, 03:53:23 pm

Joined-up thinking from local & national government? Dream on!