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anxious_smallholder

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  1. Geronimo The red tape isnt that bad once you get used to it. In theory, the trouble you might fall into is once a year you need to return a "census" of your animals, which basically you photocopy your flock book and fire that over to them. All they are really worried is that any coming and goings are accounted for. So, in ours for example, we record births , deaths and home slaughters. As for what happens to the arisings from the home slaughter - unless they are there on the day you do it, we just record "disposed off in accordance with regulations" the fact that you have probably fed the offal and bones to the dog, the sheepskins you have probably utilised yourself so really its only the head that needs to be disposed of properly, and a few wraps of a carrier bag and it goes off to the tip or you could find a secluded part of your holding and bury it! Of course, this is all now illegal and do not follow my advice of course....... If you just want a couple of sheep for the freezer, why not register a holding number - DONT put anything on the land, and just go to a market, buy some knackered sheep - usually marketed as cull ewes as they have had problems lambing this year so not wanted to breed from again - and transport them straight to an abattoir. Pick them up a day later and cut up at home? All above board and "the man" isnt on your back?? Not sure how it is in Scotland, but here in wales we (the collective we of the farmers and self supporters here) tend to do what we need to do to comply, but home slaughters are very common around here as are JCB's turning up in the middle of the night to bury the odd cattle carcass left over from the slaughter!
  2. OK - maybe too late, but i hope you get a chance to read this!! Firstly, before you even consider purchasing livestock - cows, sheep, pigs or goats etc for your field, that field must be registered with a County Parish Holding number - CPH which is available from DEFRA or Rural Payments Agency - whichever apply to your neck of the woods. Without this CPH number you will be breaking the law by bringing livestock onto the field. Once you have a CPH number, you are free to purchase livestock, wherever and however you want. You must transport them in a manner suited to their status - i.e fully grown sheep in a trailer, orphan or cade lambs can be carried in a dog crate in the boot of a car. If you go down the cade route, an average cade lamb must be kept with at least 3 others (if you dont want to use artificial heat to keep them warm) or at least one other if you use a heat lamp. You must keep more than one under animal welfare as they are a flock animal that feel security in numbers. Once you have the said sheep on the land, you must ring your local council and ask for animal welfare and apply for a flock number. this is an individual number to you, and allows DEFRA to contact you in the event of any animal disease outbreak. If you intend to slaughter the animal before its 12 months old, it requires one ear tag, which has to be fitted before you move it from its holding of birth, so in all fairness, this should already have been done for you. If you retain them for breeding, then the single tag must be replaced with a pair of RED (to indicate replacement) Electronic ID Tags. When feeding cade lambs, they will require around 500ml of milk, at least four times a day, no need to feed after dark as they will sleep in the shed. They must have access to water and hay and will take hay from around 2 weeks old, but not be fully weaned until around 10 weeks. when weaned, feed them on starter pellets and allow access to the great outdoors, making sure they have adequate cover from rain and wind whilst outside. DO NOT use cows milk replacer for sheep - its a lot cheaper but also contains copper which is toxic to lambs, fine for goats however. When it comes to slaughtering them, you can perform a home slaughter, as long as all the meat arising from the slaughter is for your consumption only, and not given, traded or sold to anyone not directly resident in your house. If in doubt, take them to a registered abatoir, where for around a £10 each, they will slaughter them and provide you with a stamp on the carcass to prove it has been inspected and safe to eat. If you slaughter at home, you also have to follow certain rules and regulations regarding the disposal of blood, offal and organs you do not intend to eat - best to ring environmental health at the council for the specifics for your area. If you are unfortunate to have a lamb die on you before you intended it, you are not allowed to bury it, it must go to a registered incineration plant and you will be asked to provide proof by DEFRA as you have to keep a flock book for 6 years showing what came and went from your field, and what medications etc they received during their lives It all sounds too much, but its quite easy really, especially with only a couple of sheep - we raise around 40 - 50 cades every year, expecting to pay around £12 each for them from market and when they go off to market in the autumn we realise around 80 - 90£ each for them. they do make a profit!!
  3. Thank-you for your prompt reply, can i point out a couple of issues:- the original agreement for the land was to provide for horses AND two goats (one of which is in kidd). This therefore indicates that the land was for "agricultural use" as one of the pre-requisites to establish nature is the breeding and raising of animals. During negotiations sheep were also mentioned and permissible by the LL. There is a large poultry shed already on the property, supplied with water that the LL had use of, and had partially converted to provide a kitchen and a casual sleeping area for "wild camping" by his family. In total, the lease is not for land only, but includes poly tunnel, greenhouse, barn, stables, poultry shed and assorted lean-to's and storage areas. The property is divided up into several lots, all ring fenced and provides several grazing areas and an allotment area kept apart from the grazing. With regards to the barn roof, it was notified to the LL before acceptance of the land and the LL stated that the roof needed to be put back on, something either they would arrange, or i could do as part of the repairing lease. Therefore, informing them i would do it, i feel justified in stating that the landlord was fully aware of my requirement to repair the roof. Chickens were indeed a later addition, however, LL in full knowledge of them and not initially concerned. I feel that the use of chickens is a lever with with to start removing us from the land. As i understand it, allowing us entry to the land No Farm Business Tenancy has been implemented therefore as we were invited by the LL to have use over the poly tunnel, greenhouses etc to raise plants, practice horticulture and grow seedlings, as the LL was aware of the livestock from the outset, am i right to feel an agricultural lease should have been formed??
  4. Hiya, this is my first post so please be gentle with me!! Three months ago we were looking for a field on which to graze our horse and some goats. we say an advert locally for "grazing suitable for horses and other livestock" so we viewed it, liked it and agreed the rental figure, rent due end of each month, so as we were half way through the month, we paid the remaining two weeks of that month there and then at the gate. we were told that a contract and receipt book etc would follow. Since then, we have paid the rent - cash - direct to the landlord, still had no sign of rent book or recieipts or contract. Within the first two weeks we moved the horse onto the land and a pair of goats, and made repairs to a dilapidated steel barn ourselves (out of our own pockets) as the landlord told us that the fencing, buildings (of which there is a barn, couple of sheds and a poly tunnel) are on a "repairing lease" i.e our responsibility. We moved on a dozen or so chickens (including a cockerel) to help "rotovate" some of the land as the top part of the land with a poly tunnel had a run down allotment which we were told we could also use as part of the lease. Have been to pay the rent today - again cash - and got a text message from the landlord stating that due to the fact that we were keeping chickens the lease has been terminated and we have two weeks to move off the field. So OK, several things now running through my mind. Bit scattered so please ask for clarification if needed. 1 - Grazing of livestock other than horses - this was approved and therefore does this mean that the lease is in fact an agricultural lease? if so, what notice period should we actually receive? 2 - Al rent is up to date (however last months was two weeks late) so can the LL claim late payments as a reason? 3 - I have nothing in writing - does a verbal contract still stand? 4 - Something in the back of my mind says "allotments Act 1950" which states that any person using land as their own can raise poultry and rabbits under statute law, irrespective of local clauses or conditions" or words to that effect. if this is so, then the reason for terminating the lease is non-valid surely? 5 - if it does qualify as an agricultural lease, surely their must be provisions and paperwork that the LL has to provide under law? Just to recap: 1 - LL knew about goats grazing before we paid for the lease 2 - LL came up to view field one month into the lease and saw the chickens and said "how lovely" they were, so knew about those too 3 - With LL permission, using part of the land as allotment, having cleared brambles etc out of the way 4 - Undertaken extensive repairs - i.e re-roofing - steel barn 5 - Undertaken repairs to poly tunnel and planted a considerable lot of fruit and vegetables in the allotment 6 - all rent up to date, none outstanding 7 - we live in Wales if this has any bearing on the answers you may give I am happy to go and speak direct to the LL, but i want to make sure that i know where i stand and don't agree to anything stupid before i speak to them. I could remove the hens if needs be, but i feel that i am at least protected under statute law in keeping them there! Many thanks Anxious Smallholder
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