[Marshlady]

I took our 2 Large Black boars to the abattoir on Monday they're coming back on Saturday in boxes. I thought I had all the forms but was caught out by not having a food chain information (FCI) form. There were several of us who did not have this form and it caused a moderate hold up in unloading. Fortunately the abattoir produced one and the very friendly Polish vet was nice about - repeated jokes about there needing to be a special tax for hobby farmers. I have just spent 20 minutes looking through the DEFRA website before finding a link to something called BPEX ( http://www.bpex-fci.org.uk/fci/ ) from whom you can download the form. Was I being dim or is this information difficult to find? In any case advice to anyone taking pigs to slaughter - take one with you - it's only to say that your pigs haven't been fed anything ilicit or had any drugs recently.

[dannidub2000]

This one I used for the 1st time at the abattoir,but there is a shorter one you can save on your computer and use each time to go with your AML2 movement form. This I have attached

[supplies for smallholders]

Hi,

If you register with BPEX (free) you can fill in the form and submit to your abattoir on-line - save a forrest etc.

Unless your abattoir is not registered to do this on-line (some are not)

Thanks

[farming-girl]

The Food Chain Information (FCI) form was introduced by the Food Standards Agency & not DEFRA which is why there is only a link to BPEX website on DEFRA.  If you look on Food Standards Agency all the info is on there & copies of blank forms for all species.

[oaklandspigs]

This is the great joined up government - when this came out Defra said nothing to do with us, we will not pay for a flyer from our budgets to all pig farmers despite us being the ones with all their addresses as this is FSA they should pay, and FSA said we don't have their addresses and they should know the law (presumably by telepathy) ,so neither felt any need to tell anyone - and Defra says that it cannot confuse customers on responsibility by having FSA information on a defra website -  good in't it!

[farming-girl]

Oaklandspigs - Maybe worth speaking to your local trading standards animal health officer - I am sure they would be happy to point you in the right direction.  Blaming DEFRA for not sending out info is very unfair - The FCI is legislation relates to the safety of food not Animal Health and therefore the responsibilty for telling people sits with the FSA (and MHS to enforce)

[Fowgill Farm]

Farming girl
You seem to know an awful lot of rules and regs do you by chance work for Trading standards or DEFRA?? You seem to have popped up fom nowhere spouting lots of rules & regs, would be interested in your background and your animal keeping experience?
Look forward to hearing all about them.
bestest
Mandy

[smiffy]

This is the great joined up government - when this came out Defra said nothing to do with us, we will not pay for a flyer from our budgets to all pig farmers despite us being the ones with all their addresses as this is FSA they should pay, and FSA said we don't have their addresses and they should know the law (presumably by telepathy) ,so neither felt any need to tell anyone - and Defra says that it cannot confuse customers on responsibility by having FSA information on a defra website -  good in't it!

even worse than this!!!! i had a running debate with a animal health office, cos i did not tag meat weaners that were going to other farms for finishing, AH said all pigs should be tagged, slaughterhouse asked me not to tag as it causes confusion when they process pigs with my tag and other holdings slap mark!!! the AH officer concerned didnt know about the food chain info... and was getting very shirty, she went off to do further investigating, not taking my word for it!!! thankfully all is resolved now, but even AH were not fully aware when it 1st came in. now you need fc infor for cattle and sheep-!

[farming-girl]

Hi Mandy

Not working for Trading Standards!!!  I am a farmers daughter, a farmers wife and have a degree in Animal Science as well as being actively involved in alot of agricultural related groups / NFU etc!  Will stop spouting rules & regs!

[TheCaptain]

We thought you might be one of 'them'...

 

[Fowgill Farm]

Good to hear you're one of us and not working for the auld enemy!
Its good you know your stuff, we know where to come now for all our red tape enquiries!!
bestest mandy

[Marshlady]

Having spent a while looking at the DEFRA website and its section on pig keeping I was struck that it seemed to have little about slaughter. It would seem to me that if there is advice on pig keeping there would be sense in having a simple section that says "When you take the pigs to slaughter you will need.....". Designing simplicity into any system prevents mistakes. I stil can't see anything on the DEFRA website that actually says that you will need a FCI form. I do agree with Oaklandspigs - when we get to having to phone round to various agencies to get the correct advice something is wrong.

[pikilily]

Hiya,

On topic, although relating to sheep. i took my four lambs to the abbatoir today. No inspection of animal's tags, no documentation asked for or examined, infact I would now be hard pushed to even prove that I had taken the lambs there!!!

i had all the movement orders, travel docs, etc etc and none were required. Typical!!
Emma T

[pikilily]

that reminds me.....do abattoirs have CPH numbers? how do we record the movement if they don't? i did ask and no-one there seemed to know! They told me to ask at the office,  when i go to collect the carcases. however when i phoned this morning the woman there didn't even know what a CPH number was !!!
Emma T

[Sudanpan]

No abattoirs don't have CPH numbers - but if I remember rightly the AML form has a box that you tick to say if the anmals are going to dedicated slaughter.
That's what I did anyway!
Tish