OP Dip Withdrawal Period Extended: Out of the blue the Veterinary Medicines Directorate have extended the withdrawal period for two of the most poplar OP dip products from 35 days to 70 days. This means that all OP products now have a 70 day withdrawal period. NSA is trying to establish exactly what has happened to trigger this action from the VMD and more importantly what can be done to persuade them to revert the withdrawal periods to where they were previously. From what is known so far it would seem that if you have dip in stock with a 35 day withdrawal period on the label that is the withdrawal period that should be observed however new stock of the product will have new labelling instructions with the longer withdrawal period printed on them. Please check with your supplier. The biggest implication of this is around store lambs as many lambs will be ready for slaughter well within 70 days of having been dipped as part of good practise when arriving on farm.

The end for SP Dips: Having been suspended from the marketplace around 5 years ago, it has come as no great surprise that no manufacturer of the products has applied to have their marketing authorisations reissued thereby effectively ending the production of these products. With so much negative activity around dipping in the last few days there is growing concern about the implications of the increased difficulties associated with dipping sheep.

 

Remember to choose your tag type carefully: As increasing numbers of farmers are choosing and buying their new eartags it is worth thinking about the importance of choosing the right type of tag for your 2010 lamb crop depending on what you are going to do with them. Unless lambs are sent directly from the holding of birth straight to the abattoir then serious consideration needs to be given to using the electronic slaughter tag. Early indications are that a sizeable percentage of tags being ordered are non electronic batch tags which could mean that the ease of selling those lambs could be seriously affected in the future unless they are moving direct from their holding of birth straight to the abattoir.

Any purchaser of lambs (including those buying finished in livestock markets) who mixes lambs together from different holdings of birth will need to comply with batch within batch recording requirements and will find that very difficult on lambs with just a non electronic slaughter tag in place.

 

2010 Show sheep will need EID: Anyone intending to move sheep born after December 31^st 2009 to a show will need to ensure they are tagged with full EID so as to allow for their individual numbers to be recorded. Because of the DCO (Disease Control Order) rules – not the identification regulations – any animal moving to a show and then back to the holding must have its individual number recorded on the movement document and in the holding register. The DCO rules are not a new requirement it has been the case for several years and anyone moving sheep to and from shows should already be accustomed to recording individual numbers in this way. Sheep born before January 1^st 2010 already have an individual number on their tag and carry on as they were. Sheep born in 2010 will need to have full EID to be able to meet the requirement to record their individual identity. Further information on the DCO can be found on the Defra website.

 

Twelve Top Tips for Cutting Costs and Carbon: EBLEX have identified twelve simple energy related things that any sheep business can do to save on fixed costs and reduce carbon emissions. The list of ideas is very simplistic but are they easily forgotten and will save money if done. Typically machinery and power costs can be up to 25% of fixed costs so any saving is worthwhile.

Ensuring all vehicle tyres are kept at the

correct pressure to save diesel;

Shutting off diesel engines when not in

use rather than leaving them idling;

Running tractors in the highest gear and at the lowest throttle level for the job;

Planning travel to combine jobs and minimise vehicle movements

Using only low energy light bulbs, especially so in flood-lighting;

Keeping all lighting covers and fittings clean and well maintained;

Switching off all lights and other electrical equipment when not in use;

Installing time switches and  sensors in key lighting circuits;

Insulating and draught-proofing farm offices  to minimise heat losses;

Utilising standby features on computer equipment and always switching off

Improving building airflow to maximise natural ventilation and minimise draughts;

Servicing and maintaining ventilation equipment regularly.

 

 

Meetings attended by NSA on behalf of the membership this week have included

 

CPH (holdings) development meeting

Visit to Randall Parker Foods cutting and packing plant near Andover

NSA Council

NSA George Hedley dinner in Cardiff

2 Scottish road show meetings in Aberdeen and Forfar

Meeting with Scottish Minister

Scottish LFA meeting

Meeting with SEERAD on Animal Health issues

Meeting with NFUS

Meeting in London of RUMA (Responsible Use of Medicines in Animals)

EID presentation to Harper Adams students

Meeting with EBLEX