FARM NEWS 5
• JUN/JUL 2018
Free sward stick from Barenbrug can
help farmers gauge when to graze grass
TO help farmers gauge when
to graze their grass, Baren-
brug UK has developed a
brand-new sward stick that
is available completely free
of charge. The stick, which
is printed with the optimum
heights for grass for both
cattle and sheep, is designed
to make it easier for farmers
to decide when to turn live-
stock out, and when to adjust
grazing pressure.
Knowing when to graze
grass and for how long
requires careful judgement
and getting it right can be a
delicate balance:
• Grazing grass too early
– before a second new
tiller leaf appears – can
damage grass persis-
tency and put future
growth in peril
• Grazing for too long, to
a low residual, where
there is too little grass
left, can put a pasture
back into the lag phase
– where regrowth is
slow due to the plant’s
sole reliance on its car-
bohydrate reserves
• Not grazing a field
enough can also prove
problematic: if a field
is left too long, grass
will enter the ceiling
phase of growth; at this
stage, tillers continue
to produce new leaves,
however, there is no
further increase in net
pasture mass due to
the dying off of older
leaves.
Barenbrug recommends
that farmers use its sward
sticks on a weekly ba-
sis - building up a log of
grass growing information.
Farmers should walk each
relevant field, once a week,
to monitor sward height.
Following a similar route
each time, they should take
30 to 40 leaf-top readings
per field - before calculat-
ing an average and record-
ing it in a notebook. This
information can then be
used to aid decision-mak-
ing and for longer-term
seasonal and year-on-year
assessments and adjust-
ments.
To order a sward stick, go
to: https://www.barenbrug.
co.uk/news/sward-stick-
agriculture-2018
Support for small
abattoirs needed more
than live export ban
The Countryside Alliance has called for the
Government to support more small abattoirs,
rather than introduce a ban on animal
exports in response to a Defra consultation
which closed on Tuesday 22 May.
IN written evidence to Defra’s consultation,
the Alliance supported the Government’s
objective of reducing travel time from point
of production to slaughter but argued that
this was best achieved by establishing
more small and medium size abattoirs in
the UK rather than introducing a ban on live
exports for slaughter.
‘ opportunity to
change the regulations
for transporting
animals to Europe
’
The purpose of the consultation was to
“seek views on controlling live exports of
farm animals for slaughter once the UK has
left the EU” which could include “regulatory
measures as well as prohibitions”. Leaving
the EU will give the UK the opportunity to
change the regulations for transporting
animals to Europe, including the possibility
of introducing a ban on live exports.
The Countryside Alliance has argued
that there is no evidence to suggest that
transportation over water is of any greater
risk to animal welfare than transportation
over land.
www.countryside-alliance.org
Setting up a Certificated Camping Site
THE Camping and Caravanning Club is al-
ways on the lookout for potential locations
for Certificated Sites (CSs). The Club hold
special exemptions from Natural England
to establish small campsites (CSs) for its
members, meaning that landowners don’t
need planning permission or a site licence
from their Local Authority.
Exemptions awarded by the Club allow
small campsites, once certificated, to
accommodate up to 5 caravans or mo-
torhomes, and 10 tents for a maximum of
28 consecutive days at any one time. The
Camping and Caravanning Club is the only
Club to cover all forms of camping, so it can
help to increase occupancy on this type of
campsite more than any other organisa-
tion.
If a smallholder has at least half an acre of
level land, and is not next door to a licensed
site, there’s a good chance it will qualify for
Certificated Site status. Once the decision
has been made to set up a site, the Club
offers a ‘hand-holding’ process from start
to finish and have a dedicated department
on hand – 94% of our CS owners stated that
the application process was “easy”.
Once set up, campsite owners are given
access to over 600,000 Club members,
a basic entry onto its online campsite
directory siteseeker.co.uk and entry into
its well-known biennial publication ‘Your
Big Sites Book’ - the most comprehensive
campsite guide in the UK. Campsite owners
will also receive free Club Online Mem-
bership, two annual site certificates, two
annual site assessment visits, and access to
unique discounts online, all for a biennial
fee (every 2 years) of £165.00 + VAT. The
Club will provide you with a site entr ance
sign and a pack of onsite facility signs.
The Camping and Caravanning Club also
runs a ‘Best CS’ competition every year. All
Certificated Sites are eligible for recom-
mendation, but they can only win through
the good feedback provided by Club
members. The overall winner each year
will receive a host of prizes and prestigious
accolade.
There are many different reasons why
landowners choose to investigate having
their own Certificated Site, whether it is for
extra income, or just the pleasure of meet-
ing new people, making friends, or sharing
their beautiful surroundings with others. If
you’d like to apply to set up a Certificated
Site, it only takes a few minutes to complete
the online application form at www.setupa-
site.co.uk.
There’s no obligation at any stage, so
if you decide at any point that this is no
longer the route for you, just let the Club’s
Exempted Camping team know and your
application will be closed.
If you are still unsure about becoming a
Certificated Site, then why not call the Club
and speak with one of its friendly dedicated
team members.
024 77670969
[email protected]