Herd Number and Stocking Levels

jaredGalen

Hi.
I want to reactivate a Herd Number my dad had, lease some land from him and get a few cattle. What is the minimum I need to do to keep my herd number active.

Do I have to have X number of cattle for a certain number of months etc?

Any ideas?

Red_Marauder

The re-activation should be a simple enough procedure if the DVO are notified of intention to re-stock. However, the transfer might cause considerably more work.

Transfer of ownership of a herd number largely seems to involve handing in the same information (OS maps, etc) which the DVO should already have and involves farm visits and the like, as far as I am aware.

If you do not have stock at any one time your DVO will suspend the herd number again and you will receive notice of this in writing. The reason for this is that you aren't erroneously expected to be participating in TB/ Brucellosis round testing.

jaredGalen

Hi,
thanks for the response. If I just get cattle for the summer, graze them and then sell them, would the herd number need to be deactivated. I'm just trying to start small at the moment.

Would this work out do you think?

agcons

First job is to contact your local DVO and ask for a form to transfer a herd number. You will need to send them a copy of the rental agreement between your dad and yourself, together with a map, preferably a LPIS map but an OS map is fine too. They will call out to the farm to check that you have a functioning pen and crush. There is no min to the amount of land or stock required. You will be required to carry out a herd test once a year and if you have no stock the number will be made dormant. All this means is you will need to phone the local office a couple of weeks before restocking to get the number reactivated. It is probably advisable as well to make an SPS aplication as you may be entitled to disadvantaged area money this year and who knows what might turn up after 2013 if you are in the system

Red_Marauder

jaredGalen wrote: »

Hi,
thanks for the response. If I just get cattle for the summer, graze them and then sell them, would the herd number need to be deactivated. I'm just trying to start small at the moment.

Would this work out do you think?

Yes and like agcons said, you would just have to re-activate it when you are re-stocking.

Depending on your local DVO that part should be straightforward enough but it is important to get onto the herd number transfaer as soon as you can because that's the bit that will take time.

Good luck.

jaredGalen

Thanks for the great reponses.

I'll get cracking and see how we get on!