The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: billy_wiz on April 25, 2016, 07:31:50 pm
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I have been offered a small flock of 6 sheep, which I intend use mostly as a lawnmowers to keep the grass down.
This will be my first flock, I have a CPH number flock number etc, so hopefully all the paperwork is there, however the person that owns the flock I believe they haven't been registered as they are pets, they have no ear tags.
Now I don't want to get the person that owns the sheep into trouble, what is the procedure for transfering them.
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The owner needs to tag them. Registering is a seperate issue for pedigree sheep, most sheep in the UK arent registered, but they must be double tagged with one EID tag.
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Does the present owner have a CPH number and a flock number , if yes then they just buy new double tags . dare I ask were the sheep came from first ?
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Have a look at the Defra web site regarding identification (tagging) and transport but don't get too put off by it as the latter is aimed at bigger enterprises, but the essential requirements are all there.
Tagging must be done before the sheep move by the original owner using their CPH number.
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Many thanks for your replies..................however I'm sure they have never been registered, have no cph number etc, they have just kept them as pets.
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Hi
You can't move any type of livestock without a movement licence, which the vendor must give you. These movements can not be completed if both the departure and receiving holding do not have a CPH. The vendor will need to put their house in order to sell you the sheep. The sheep will require tags and to purchase tags the vendor will need to have registered their flock and have a CPH.
:wave:
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Keeping farm animals as pets does not exempt anyone from the rules of keeping livestock.
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Pets or not the owner must have a CPH number
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Billy, sorry but there is no such thing as 'pets' in law. They are livestock and if there is no CPH number they are illegal and if you were to take them on without the current owner getting a CPH number and a movements licence then you would be illegal. This was all put in place to reduce the impact of major diseases such as Foot and Mouth so it will cause some fairly emotional responses should there be any suggestion of working around the regulations.
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Agree with all above plus hairs on back of neck slightly rising.
What is a well intentioned person doing giving away sheep with no tags? And how come they've got the sheep themselves in the first place? What's the provenance of these sheep?
Maybe it's my suspicious mind but I suspect an ulterior motive here.
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I'd suggest you and/or the vendor call the local animal health office who will be able to help out getting cph and flock number for the owner (it is the flock number which goes on the eartags and holding number or cph which goes on movement documents).
It shouldn't be impossible, but it will be best all round to get the cph number and eartags sorted before moving them.
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Agree with all above plus hairs on back of neck slightly rising.
What is a well intentioned person doing giving away sheep with no tags? And how come they've got the sheep themselves in the first place? What's the provenance of these sheep?
Maybe it's my suspicious mind but I suspect an ulterior motive here.
I suspect there are lots of people out there who keep pet sheep, pet goats, pet pigs and think they are exempt from the regulations. They crop up on here now and again and I don't think it is anything to do with ulterior motives. They just don't know or don't think they need to know because they are "pets"!
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Agree with all above plus hairs on back of neck slightly rising.
What is a well intentioned person doing giving away sheep with no tags? And how come they've got the sheep themselves in the first place? What's the provenance of these sheep?
Maybe it's my suspicious mind but I suspect an ulterior motive here.
I suspect there are lots of people out there who keep pet sheep, pet goats, pet pigs and think they are exempt from the regulations. They crop up on here now and again and I don't think it is anything to do with ulterior motives. They just don't know or don't think they need to know because they are "pets"!
Ignorance is not defence and these animals all came from somewhere which also should have known better ....
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Everyone is being very nice about this but let's not pussyfoot around. It's illegal to keep sheep without a CPH number or to move them without a licence. Full stop. Anyone tempted to do so should Google Foot & Mouth disease 2001 and take a good, l-o-n-g look at the funeral pyres of six million animals.
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Agree with all above plus hairs on back of neck slightly rising.
What is a well intentioned person doing giving away sheep with no tags? And how come they've got the sheep themselves in the first place? What's the provenance of these sheep?
Maybe it's my suspicious mind but I suspect an ulterior motive here.
I suspect there are lots of people out there who keep pet sheep, pet goats, pet pigs and think they are exempt from the regulations. They crop up on here now and again and I don't think it is anything to do with ulterior motives. They just don't know or don't think they need to know because they are "pets"!
Ignorance is not defence and these animals all came from somewhere which also should have known better ....
Absolutely but I think we would be amazed how many "pets" there are and especially pigs.
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Everyone is being very nice about this but let's not pussyfoot around. It's illegal to keep sheep without a CPH number or to move them without a licence. Full stop. Anyone tempted to do so should Google Foot & Mouth disease 2001 and take a good, l-o-n-g look at the funeral pyres of six million animals.
Seems to me Billy_wiz is trying to do the right thing and is not intending to take the sheep unless everything is correct.
To be fair licences won't stop FMD but at least we would know where all stock is, has been or was going. Unfortunately, there will still be "pets" out there that on-one knows about.
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So to your initial question and point that you don't want to get the current owner into trouble, ask them if they have a CPH number and flock number. If they do it is simply a case of ordering some ear tags and getting them on the sheep and then a movements licence.
If they have a CPH number but no flock number they need to speak with the local Animal Health office to get one, and if they have neither number ditto. If they don't want to do this then to be legal you would have to stay clear of these sheep.
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Very well put pharnorth