FARM DIARY
Goscombe Farm, Gundleton 2013
January and February continued with daily
tasks of bedding and feeding livestock, all of
which are housed between Goscombe and
Bighton Bottom Farm, about 20,000 square
feet in total. A few new births in the mix
makes this time of year very physically
demanding, but happily the daylight is now
slowly increasing, it’s surprising the
difference it makes to a working day.
The snow in January arrived with gusto, fun
for some but with freezing conditions; the
4x4’s now earn their keep. The freezing
weather brings twice daily defrosting of
water pipes, very time-consuming and can
add an additional four hours to the working
day.
I sold a few excess pigs at market during
December & January. The British pig
industry is in crisis and the store pig price is
disastrous at the moment, partly due to
cheap imports but also as all their food
comes out of a bag and the wet harvest last
year meant a huge increase in livestock feed
prices. For example a 25kg bag of Sow Roll
is over £11 a bag and using three plus bags
a day for approximately 40 pigs, with a
strong store pig 4/5 months old selling for
around £50, you do not need to be a genius
to realize that the pigs cost more to produce
than they are worth. The direct pork sales do
help and with the freezer replenished in
January, plenty of pork is still available.
1st January 2013 brought big changes in TB
regulations to Hampshire; the new rules
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imposed by DEFRA require all herds to have
a compulsory 12-monthly TB test. My herd
has gone from a 4-year test period on
breeding stock only to a yearly test on all
stock over 42 days of age. Producers can
choose the best time of year to have their
herd tested, paid by The Ministry, and for me
that is the spring, just prior to all the cattle
going out to graze. Also, assuming a clear
test I have a 60-day window to sell any
stock, after that I would TB test at my own
expense.
In some ways I am lucky as all the ground I
graze, except Butterfly Conservation, is
registered on my holding number and I have
sole occupancy at BBF so I can move
throughout my holding without having to TB
test each move. Farmers who have grazed
a neighbour’s field for many years, often by
just opening a gate will now have to carry out
a pre-movement TB test.
If Butterfly Conservation want my cattle for
grazing this September, (although I have
had my annual test), the 60 days has
expired