Inspection time
15 05 2007We’ve just had an Aberdeenshire Council animal welfare officer visit the croft to inspect our paperwork and check the pigs’ living conditions as there “could be a problem” with what we do.
This was news to me as we work hard to keep our pigs in good conditions, feed them well and give them all they need for a good life.
But, if an inspector thinks there’s a problem, then you have to let them in, spend a good hour having all your paperwork examined in detail and another hour or so outside justifying everything you do.
The paperwork, which actually seems to be more critical than the animals themselves, turned out to be incorrect.
The AWO said that while we did have all the right record books and files (herd book, animal medicine book, copies of all Schedule 2 movement forms, receipts for slaughter and sale) and had recorded all the details we are required to keep, we had not filled in the forms and books in the way prescribed by the council.
I said I was following SEERAD’s guidance, but it appears SEERAD has a different view of the format required and so I would now have to rewrite the forms in the format the council wants.
This didn’t come as too much of a surprise as I know that each council has it’s own variation of the Schedule 2 form, but it was still irritating - and will be time consuming.
The problem is that pig movements are tracked by the local councils (sheep and goats are done nationally by the Scottish Animal Movement Unit; cattle are tracked by the British Cattle Movement Service).
As SEERAD and State Veterinary Service officers have previously explained the pig system to me, SEERAD handles the legislation, the SVS handles advice (to pig keepers, councils and SEERAD) and councils handle tracking and enforcement.
But, each council has its own interpretation as to how the paperwork should be done and, as I’ve also been told, until there have been a few court cases to decide the law, there will continue to be variations in the interpretation of the regulations.
The other problem the AWO pointed out was that the council doesn’t have a lot of my Schedule 2 forms in any case.
I said I was aware of that as Id’ found out within the past couple of months that SEERAD gave me a different address - in writing - to the actual address of the council animal welfare office.
Having had the problems with the paperwork pointed out to me, it was then time to see how the animals themselves were being kept.
The first thing to hint that all was not as the AWO expected or suspected it to be came when I opened the door into the byre.
The doorway is the demarcation between the people areas of the croft and the livestock areas so we have a footbath filled with disinfectant there, plus a scrubbing brush.
The AWO was very surprised to see this - saying that even larger farms often don’t bother with this unless there’s an actual disease outbreak. Score one for us, then!
Inside the byre itself, the AWO was pleased and surprised to find a properly set up farrowing area with a creep, heat lamp, block or stone walls, lots of space, a good quality pig water trough, a good quality feed trough and a very deep bed of fresh straw for the piglets that are currently in there. (The sow had been taken out to wean them.)
Then it was out the back door of the byre and up the access ramp - which turned out to properly sloped, of a good width and with good footing for the animals.
As we walked out to the pig areas, the AWO commented on the well constructed muck boxes that were a good distance from the pigs, the strong and well laid out fencing, the good access tracks and points, and the obvious rotational practice that we follow.
The AWO also expressed interest in our arcs, so I explained that the sow and piglet arc has a wooden floor and insulation; the large winter arc is insulated, and that the two smaller non-insulated arcs are generally for summer use.
I explained that having insulated arcs meant the adult pigs kept condition over winter, while the piglets tended to grow much faster. In both cases it’s because the animals’ feed intake is going into growth and health instead of being burned to keep warm.
The wooden floor in the sow and piglet arc makes it much easier to clean and disinfect between litters.
The AWO was pleased to find that the pigs had access to both dirt (with space to wallow and dig) and grass (to graze or root about in), while he commented on them having “proper” troughs that were heavily concreted in.
Finally, we got on to the pigs themselves. He agreed that all were in excellent condition and looked very comfortable with their surroundings.
No surprises for us there, then!
So, the upshot of the inspection was that our pigs and poultry are kept in conditions well above the minimum expected, we have kept detailed records of animal numbers, identfication and movements, we have kept the required information and we have been following the advice we were given.
But, that advice was “incorrect” so now the paperwork will have to be redone and checked so that the details are provided in the prescribed fashion. Sigh!
As to why we were inspected when neighbouring farms haven’t had one in 50 years, well, I have my suspicions but at least the council now know that we put a high priority on animal welfare and biosecurit.
A couple of people have emailed to ask why we bother to register with the authorities and keep all the paperwork as they don’t.
Well, if I’d been ignoring the regulations and not keeping the paperwork, where would have I been when the animal welfare officer came calling?
The regulations are often poorly drafted and sometimes downright daft, but because I could show that I had all the relevant details recorded (if not in the “right” way), I didn’t have to worry about any enforcement action. Even if we were only finishing a couple of porkers a year, I’d still do it the same way.
But when we’re breeding and selling pedigree animals - even on a small scale - trying to stay on top of the regulations and paperwork is absolutely imperative. Even more so, when people are complaining about what we do!
The same goes for the way we house, feed and rear our animals. We exceed, by a large margin, the quite low minimum animal welfare requirements.
Yes, we could cut corners and work closer to the requirements, but if we were doing that then we might as well buy meat from the supermarket and save ourselves a lot of work amd hassle.
But if I’m going to eat meat then it’s going to come from animals that are respected, well cared for and lead happy lives.
I am looking at getting a few pigs to keep on my farm in Yorkshire. I have searched the web for information about what I need to do with regards to paper work but nowhere including defra seems to provide easy to understand information. Can you advise? Thanks for your time.
Sara from farmingfriends
I would love to be able to buy meat that was produced in the conditions that your animals live in. Will just have to wait till we can raise our own, until then have to settle for the second rate stuff from the shops and try not to dwell on how it is produced.
hang on a bit… we will never, ever rear livestock, but isn’t there a half-way line between scabby supermarket cheap meat ranges and rearing your own?- a lot of our meat (well, his - I don’t eat a lot of meat) comes from our local farmers market which runs twice a month, where the stall holders seem to hold animal welfare very dear, and they can talk about the good conditions that their animals are kept it. Seems to me that it’s a long way from the supermarkets meats. But then again, Waitrose has farm here in Hampshire where I believe the standards for chickens is much, much higher than even free range chickens in other supermarkets.
It comes down to trust. Do you trust the labelling on your meat? Do you trust the standards that your meat is reared to? Do you trust the bodies that impose and monitor those standards? Do you trust the farmers who say they will abide by those standards? And so on.
I don’t tend to place much trust in agri-business or the supermarkets as they will inevitably work down to standards unless it is in their financial interest not to. They will also try to step around standards if they believe avoidance will maximise returns and profits.
If you have a local farmers’ market or a local butcher, then by all means use them if you are confident you can trust them. Ask about the sources of the meat, ask about the conditions the animals are kept in - heck, even ask if they mind having visitors. We don’t mind people wanting to see how our animals are kept.
But how confident are you that the even premium supermarket brands are all they claim to be? Produce arrives at a supermarket via a long chain of middlemen that gives the business both lower costs and a “get out of jail free” card if something goes wrong. After all, it was simply a dodgy supplier and not the supermarket.
You give the example of Waitrose, saying you think their standards are much higher. But what is their standard? What are those of the other supermarkets? What can you see for yourself? Or do you just take their word for it?
And remember, they can use a lot of very carefully worded statements in their marketing that appear to say something to the consumer, but mean something else entirely to regulators and the courts.
Find a meat supplier you think may have what you want, ask hard questions, consider the answers carefully and, if it appears to match what you want, set about building a relationship of trust with that supplier.