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Editor’s Q&A: Subsidy opportunity for 2022
Livestock Editor Q&A
Subsidy opportunity for 2022
With BPS payments ending in 2027, alongside current extremely high costs and uncertainty, in this month’s Q&A Sarah Kidby provides an update on potential opportunities available from the Animal Health & Welfare Pathway, due for launch later this year. Q
What is the pathway and who is eligible?
A: Part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive, the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway in England is set to o er subsidies to enhance livestock health and welfare. It is made up of four parts, the rst of which was due for launch in spring 2022 but is now expected to open to cattle, sheep and pig farmers in autumn. Farmers will be able to take part in any or all of the four programmes, beginning with the fully-funded annual vet visit launching this year. Due for launch in 2023 are: Disease eradication and control – which will provide funding for veterinary advice and diagnostic testing, across a broad range of priority areas – and the animal health and welfare grants, which are capital investments in equipment, technology and infrastructure. This could include improvements to housing or sta training for example. Finally, the payments by results part of Pathway is in the planning phase and trials are expected to begin next year.
The pathway will initially be open to farmers in England with more than 20 sheep, 10 cattle or 50 pigs, who are eligible for BPS.
Q
What will the vet review involve?
A: The review will cover the cost of a 2–3hour vet visit and a short report on agreed recommendations. For sheep farms it also includes lab testing for a Worm Treatment Check, which is a requirement of the scheme. The government will provide £436 per sheep ock, £522 for beef, £372 for dairy and £684 for pigs. Funds will be paid direct to the farmer, not the vet. For those farmers with mixed species farms, a review will be funded for each species.
While the government’s disease priorities for the rst year are worms in sheep, BVD for cattle and PRRS for pigs, the review will be tailored to the individual farm’s speci c disease concerns and priorities.
Speaking at a recent Elanco Access to Knowledge (A2K) event, Sheep Vet Society president Rebecca Mearns emphasised that the visit is not the same as health planning or a farm assurance visit. For those who do not have regular vet visits, it’s an opportunity to ‘try before you buy’, to see if veterinary input could improve your farm’s e ciency and pro tability, she said. For those who do have a vet on farm annually or more, it’s an added bonus and a chance to discuss any additional concerns. There will be three parts to the visit: • Health and welfare • Biosecurity: Measures to reduce the introduction of disease to the ock, including purchasing decisions, quarantine and isolation, assessment of boundaries, cleaning and disinfection, vaccination where appropriate and testing/treating purchased or returning stock. Vets may be able to point towards grants to make improvements • Medicines usage: The focus is on antibiotics, vaccination and the ‘Plan,
Protect, Prevent’ approach. Commenting on Pathway, NSA chief executive Phil Stocker said the association is in favour of the approach, having long advocated closer relationships between vets and farmers to increase productivity and welfare, and reduce carbon footprint. “We expect Pathway to provide an opportunity for farmers to work with their own vet to address any health issues they may be facing speci c to their farm. The initial health and welfare review should give an overall assessment of health and welfare on the farm as well as focus on whether internal parasite control is working or not. Our expectation is that Pathway will then go on to provide nancial support for disease and parasite screening to raise health status and e ciency of the ock,” he said. While Pathway will not replace the BPS income stream, it will target limited funds to health and productivity gains, he added.
Choosing a vet with a passion for the species and relevant training is important, Rebecca said. Vets will receive support on delivering successful review visits, and the Sheep Veterinary Society is o ering its own series of workshops for sheep vets delivering Pathway.
Speaking at the A2K event, sheep veterinary consultant Fiona Lovatt stressed the importance of having useful data to hand to get the most out of vet visits and to help inform decisions.
Some basic data will be gathered by the visiting vet for Defra to inform the national disease picture, but this will be anonymised and is not used for regulatory purposes. Farmers will be able to apply online this year via the Rural Payments service. FG
Norbrook will be attending
2022
Come and talk to us about Milk Fever Control
@NorbrookGB 19th-20th September 2022 Stand 22 & 27
Ewe Lamb Sales 2022
September
*Hexham Friday 2nd September Skipton Tuesday 6th September Kirkby Stephen Friday 9th September Kendal Saturday 10th September
Bentham Saturday 10th September
Longtown Tuesday 13th September
Middleton-in-Teesdale Wednesday 14th September
Lancaster Wednesday 14th September Wigton Wednesday 14th September Barnard Castle Wednesday 14th September
Barnard Castle Thursday 15th September
Carlisle Thursday 15th September
*Hexham Friday 16th September
Leyburn Friday 16th September
Penrith Tuesday 20th September
Skipton Tuesday 20th September Tow Law (at Hexham) Thursday 22nd September St John’s Chapel Friday 23rd September
†Lazonby Wednesday 28th September
October
Skipton Hawes Lazonby Leyburn Hawes
Tuesday 4th October Monday 10th October Wednesday 12th October Friday 14th October Tuesday 25th October Lazonby Wednesday 26th October Kirkby Stephen Saturday 29th October
ITEMS IN BOLD ITALICS - denotes Sales at which: All lambs forward will be the bona de property of members of the Association and will be subject to the scrutiny of Association Sale Inspectors. * Denotes the Marts will be selling Mules out of both Northumberland type Blackface and Swaledale dams. † in conjunction with Alston Moor Day Sale.
NEMSA
MULE SALES
An unbeatable breed
Deep in the heart of the Dorset countryside, Robert Mackintosh and his son Angus run Manor Farm in Milborne Wick, solely stocked with North of England mules and their o spring.
Robert has been heading north to buy sheep since 1975, after seeing some mules and recognising the commercial attributes of this versatile sheep. Quite simply, he still hasn’t seen anything that can beat it for doing its job.
Robert’s father Ian bought Manor Farm in 1955. Robert, and more recently his son Angus, now run 500 mule ewes and 100 hoggs – as well as retaining 70–80 Su olks out of the mule ewes, after selecting the best to sell as gimmer lambs and gimmer shearlings. They are sold through Exeter and Hereford auction marts as Robert and Angus feel it is important to support the live auction marts. Last year their Su olk gimmer lambs at Hereford won rst prize out of the 8,000 head sold there, topping at £210.
Robert’s dedication and belief in the North of England mule after initially buying them back in the mid 70s saw him buy for others in the area – at one point, he was fetching back 5,000–6,000 mule gimmers from the sales centres in the north, buying from Applebly, Carlisle, Lazonby and Hawes, building up many friendships which endure to this day. This comradeship is another factor in the dedication to the mule, as the community at the marts is good, with great company around and within the ring.
When buying gimmer lambs, they look for a long, clean sheep with a sharp head and good skin, and as much power as they can. They buy to a budget, so aren’t buying all the rst pens, but lambs they feel will blossom into good ewes. These types of sheep carry and rear two lambs with ease, milk and mother well, with lambs either to the Texel or Su olk growing quickly, swelling out to make good fat lambs without much intervention. They are the original easy-care sheep. Other breeds make the claims, but the North of England mule does it all, and has done year after year, Robert and Angus reckon.
Fat lambs are sold through Exeter or Sedgemoor markets. The rst lambs are selected as soon as they can, selling early lambs once they reach 39kg. They aim for the heavy lamb market and with the fastgrowing Su olk they soon hit 50kg and above. With all gimmer hoggs lambing and ewes bringing up two lambs apiece, it’s easy to see just how well the North of England mule does for them. If there’s one thing certain in these uncertain times, it’s that the North of England mule continues to be the best in the business, Robert and Angus conclude. FG
Yorkshire farmer Matthew Brown, of Rock Farm, has used Harbro’s concentrate Champion Rumitech 35 to nish cattle since 2014.
He nishes 150–160 British Blue crosses and Limousin crosses annually, purchasing at 8–12 months and selling at 550–600kg through the live market. He initially runs them on an introductory diet of silage, rolled barley and Champion RumiTech 35 for 2–3 months – before they progress to the nishing ration of rolled wheat, rolled barley with Champion Rumitech 35, fed ad lib through the hopper. Alkacid is added to combat laminitis.
Mr Brown says the product works well: “The pellet form is easier for the cattle to ingest; it
leaves a great coat with lovely shine on them and they look t. It gives a nice covering of fat, nishing them to a high standard.” Cattle achieve the top trade at Malton most weeks. His local butcher at Whitby, who tries to buy them every week, says he likes the cattle and they kill out well. Mixing concentrates with grain is a cost-e ective way to maximise raw materials and animal performance and allows diets to be tailored to di erent stages of production. The unique additive, RumiTech, allows animals to get more energy from the feed, with less energy wasted as methane. RumiTech is assured by The Carbon Trust to reduce methane emissions easier for the cattle to ingest; it and improves FCR by 10%. FGand improves FCR by 10%. FG
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Limping sheep: Do ewe have a problem on your farm?
Farm vet Abbie Louise Smith, of Westpoint Farm Vets in Ashbourne, part of the VetPartners Group, shares some guidance on tackling sheep lameness.
Sheep lameness is a condition encountered far and wide by vets and farmers alike, with an estimated 3 million sheep lame at any one point in the UK. Aside from the obvious detrimental impacts lameness has directly on the individual’s welfare and productivity, current lameness levels within UK ocks cost the sheep industry £28 million per year. As a result, there is a drive to reduce lameness levels to <2% in UK ocks, a goal which can be achieved through close communication with your vet and the implementation of the Five Point Plan.
The most common causes of lameness in sheep are those with a bacterial origin. Notable conditions include scald, footrot, and contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD). Transmission of disease from a ected sheep, foot trauma, and exposure to wet underfoot conditions are all contributing factors to the occurrence of these conditions. Despite all being bacterial in origin, the treatment protocol implemented is dependent on the condition present: • Scald: Individual cases = antibiotic spray; multiple cases = foot bathing with 10% zinc sulphate or 3% formalin solution • Footrot and CODD:
Oxytetracycline injection and antibiotic spray.
In any case, it is important to consult your vet to ensure a correct diagnosis is made and allow for a more targeted treatment plan, which helps improve treatment e cacy and reduce inappropriate antibiotic use. You must also seek veterinary advice prior to foot trimming any diseased feet as this must be used conservatively and is only appropriate in certain circumstances.
The Five Point Plan is a robust control tool that is currently being used to minimise lameness levels within UK ocks; its use is recommended where the above diseases are present. When each of the steps are used collectively, it aims to boost immunity, increase • Cull: Susceptibility to the above conditions is thought to have an underlying genetic component.
Culling of chronically infected sheep and not using previously a ected rams for breeding helps to boost natural resistance to these diseases within your ock. • Avoid infection: Achieved by providing clean and dry underfoot conditions, rotating grazing to minimise pasture bacterial contamination, and foot bathing at key risk periods e.g., after gathering and prior to housing. • Quarantine: Bought-in and returning sheep should be quarantined for 28 days before mixing with the rest of the ock to avoid disease transmission. During this period, feet can be examined and treatment undertaken where necessary. • Treat: Fast and e ective treatment should be implemented as soon as lameness is identi ed. Speak to your vet where the underlying cause is uncertain. • Vaccination: Discuss with your vet the optimum time to administer vaccinations to coincide with key risk periods. FG
