[colin carpet]

hi my accountant recently got planning on there 25 acreas ,with all the animals they had,and there was a lot,they got permission for 3 years for a Log cabbin after 3 years they will be assesed again!.best of luck.

[Anke]

Hi from the Scottish Borders. I wouldn't try to buy my first lot of stock from the market, but from people you either know or that are recommended to you. That way you not only know where your animals come from, but also have someone to ring back for advice and it is much less likley that you will be sold rubbish stock at too high a price.

Other smallholders are great, as are the various breed societies. ESpecially for goats it is much better to buy the animal where you can collect from the previous owner, so you can have some idea as to how the animals were looked after previously. We are usually a friendly bunch, and I got really good advice from various visits to other goatkeepers. We had to build the goatshed from scratch (with agricultural PP), so "noseing" round other peoples was invaluable.

[ballingall]

Hi and welcome,

I would agree with Anke, if you buy from a market, you get no previous history on the goat, what medication it has recieved, vaccinations etc. I would go to someone who keeps them directly. There are some useful links online for contact details- check out the British Goat Society http://www.allgoats.co.uk/ There is apparently a Derbyshire Dairy goat club

DERBYSHIRE DAIRY GOAT CLUB
Mrs C Woodward, Headhouse Farm, Mapperley, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 6BX.
Tel: 0115 9324706
E-mail: [email protected]
There is a website listed for them, but the link isn't working.

Found this link which may have info on it- but be warned the info is seriously out of date (at least if the addresses for the scottish contacts are anything to go by) http://www.clubcorner.co.uk/countrybreeds/goatclubsuk.htm

Nothing beats speaking to other goatkeepers to gain experience, and like Anke says, its always interesting seeing how other people keep their goats. A good site for finding stock for sale is http://www.ukgoats.co.uk/ Also, if you are thinking about a milking goat, a chance to practice milking is always a good idea!

Beth

[bazzais]

You will need planning permission for a caravan (for living in) on any land, be it your garden, agricultural or any other land.

Do you have many neighbours, do you know them, will they complain, are you visible from any roads, do you have any shelter in the field so your not spotted by satellite when the powers that be do there mapping? Maybe worth just putting a caravan on there and seeing if anyone objects  

If its not agricultural land you could possible get away with having a caravan on there and moving it around?

Someone posted a link on here the other day in another thread which I found very interesting:-
http://www.fieldtofarm.com/
I may have to get the book just out of interest.

It explains (more so in the book I guess) the procedure for - well - turning your field into a farm.

From what I can remember you will need to have a little more acreage (12.5) and a good agricultural business plan along with a need to stay on the land to care for your business needs/animals.

I wish you the very best of luck.

Ta

Baz

[Wizard]

Hello Dezi how did it go?Loads of info and much bewilderment ?