Archived News

17th September 2007
A typical livestock day during this time of FMD entails checking each group of cattle, feeding calves and any livestock in barns and keeping up thorough bio security. However today has started on a fairly depressing note.

Two calves were dead first thing this morning and since then another two have died;one was not well when it arrived last week, it took little milk right from the outset and two others have also needed encouragement to feed over the past few days. The fourth calf is number 45, he's the poor fellow I mentioned yesterday who has never fully recovered after the IBR a few weeks ago.  Whilst we were making a call to have him shot, Christopher went out and found that he was dead. I really wanted him to survive because he was hanging onto life, as if he wanted to beat this illness and show us all it had been worth nursing him through.

Because our farmhouse is outside the Surveillance Zone and we currently have no cattle on any of our fields that are within the zone, we weren't sure whether we would be classified as being within the Surveillance Zone or not, there is no clear directive that I can see on guidance notes.

Now that we have fallen stock we need to establish our situation. Also Laurence had a call this morning seeking cattle ready for the abbatoir.  Movement direct to slaughter is allowed under strict measures outside the Surveillance Zone (SZ). 

We are members of the National Farmers Union (NFU) and they are great at providing support and information whenever we need it.

I called our NFU contact in the south east and asked a few questions. Sandra was about to attend the 'bird table' meeting in London so she was able to check our situation.

Unfortunately the reply was not good news for us - our farm holding is classified as being within the SZ which puts our business under stricter restrictions and we will not be able to sell cattle direct to slaughter.

I then called NFU First Call to ask about fallen stock, requesting that we can bury them on site.  I am waiting for them to call back.
Monday evening. So far, all I have discovered is that the temporary measure allowing on-site burial during August, was lifted along with the original SZ. The NFU are now trying to find out whether new permission will be given for on-site burial of fallen stock this time round. Of course we need to have a decision as soon as possible so that the deadstock can be removed from our yard.

Back