sheep inspection

foxylock

The two words no farmer wants to see beside each other!!

A department official rang today to say I will be inspected next week. I have never been inspected before so not sure what to expect. Can anyone throw some light on this he said its a sheep grassland inspection. A bit apprehensive to be honest.

solerina

We havn't had one either but still havn't gotten the grassland payment so its a possibility, would love to know whats involved.

sea12

solerina wrote: »

We havn't had one either but still havn't gotten the grassland payment so its a possibility, would love to know whats involved.

Haven't had it before either but I imagine they will count ewes. Check your flock register book. Look that ewes have tags. Etc. might be more on here that have had one

AnFeirmeoir

Had one . Was toldto have about 20 pinned

Checked all tags on these 20 . Then counted rest
Checked flock register matched and that movement docs were present including any dead ewes.

jt65

never had grassland insp but had a fairly sticky one for cross compliance

Flock register with a fine tooth comb, they had a printout of all movements for last 3 years

we had to catch X number of ewes ( depends on your total number ) and read their tags and then account for these in the register

knackery dockets

make sure if you bought sheep privately that you sent the pink docket to your dvo

foxylock

Thanks for that lads as far as i know register is fairly good have a few knackery dockets a few old sheep missing tags alright so will replace them fairly sharpish

solerina

Thanks, I see one problem for us...knackery dockets...we don't have even one...our sheep don't die, they vanish out the hills ;-)
Everything else mentioned is up to date and OK !!

AnFeirmeoir

solerina wrote: »

Thanks, I see one problem for us...knackery dockets...we don't have even one...our sheep don't die, they vanish out the hills ;-)
Everything else mentioned is up to date and OK !!

My sheep used to be like that before inspection . Now they die and gett a docket.
Was missing 2 ewes. Inspector kept ringing after saying it would be better if they werent missing ( it was as if he was telling me to borrow 2 sheep)
He gave up in end a and I got the numbers right and keep them right now.

Conmaicne Mara

solerina wrote: »

Thanks, I see one problem for us...knackery dockets...we don't have even one...our sheep don't die, they vanish out the hills ;-)
Everything else mentioned is up to date and OK !!

Be sure you record the MIA in the flock register.

solerina

AnFeirmeoir wrote: »

My sheep used to be like that before inspection . Now they die and gett a docket.
Was missing 2 ewes. Inspector kept ringing after saying it would be better if they werent missing ( it was as if he was telling me to borrow 2 sheep)
He gave up in end a and I got the numbers right and keep them right now.

Inspector will have some fun if he wants to see all of ours..some have travelled 10 miles + cross country before we have been called to collect them (and there is a lad nearby who 'acquires' sheep every year from thin air) so there isn't a chance we would ever manage to get all of them in....too many and they travel too far. But we had better get a few dockets asap (unfortunately wont be too difficult at the mo).

Lano Lynn

jt65 wrote: »

never had grassland insp but had a fairly sticky one for cross compliance

Flock register with a fine tooth comb, they had a printout of all movements for last 3 years

we had to catch X number of ewes ( depends on your total number ) and read their tags and then account for these in the register

knackery dockets

make sure if you bought sheep privately that you sent the pink docket to your dvo

isn't it just wonderful they expend such an amount of effort to keep us in our place and then you see that girl with her 3 kids under 6 living in their car in tallagh.
how come the eu has not got a policy on homelessness?
keep this in mind when the politicians come knocking.

Taltos

Back on topic please, less of the social politics or current affairs unless it relates to sheep inspections.

Thanks
Taltos

Green farmer

Just thinking out loud. If your Bord via approved would this dramatically reduce your exposure to department audit. ? Doesn't make sense for department to carry out audits at random on Bord via farms, as their audited every 18 months by bord bia, With all the paperwork for flock register , meds, knackery receipts, animal feeds, health and safety documents, gone through with a fine tooth comb ???

jt65

Green farmer wrote: »

Just thinking out loud. If your Bord via approved would this dramatically reduce your exposure to department audit. ? Doesn't make sense for department to carry out audits at random on Bord via farms, as their audited every 18 months by bord bia, With all the paperwork for flock register , meds, knackery receipts, animal feeds, health and safety documents, gone through with a fine tooth comb ???

no it doesn't work that way

QA here and had 2 unannounced inspections here last year

Conmaicne Mara

Green farmer wrote: »

Just thinking out loud. If your Bord via approved would this dramatically reduce your exposure to department audit. ? Doesn't make sense for department to carry out audits at random on Bord via farms, as their audited every 18 months by bord bia, With all the paperwork for flock register , meds, knackery receipts, animal feeds, health and safety documents, gone through with a fine tooth comb ???

From the BB farmers in this area I am told being with BB helps the farmer in ensuring his/her paperwork is properly in order. The worst BB can do is throw you out of their scheme. The Department can do a lot worse!

Nekarsulm

Your proximity to a good "eating house" could also be a reason for a greater number of inspections.

eorna

had one here couple years back...wanted to see a % of ewes and tags to match register..paperwork/dockets/and he was very interested in dead ewes and knackery dockets....

foxylock

Went through the flock today, a few tags missing which I will replace but have a couple of sheep missing, presuming they are out on the hill but I don't suppose that will be an accepted excuse from the " good department folk" !!

MayoAreMagic

In fairness, there is a bit of a disconnect as regards inspections and hill farms. The reality is many hill farms never have all their sheep in at once. Personally, we havent had all ours in the same place in years and we would generally keep a good track of them. There is always some missing, they may turn up having wandered off, and they may never be seen again. That is just the nature of the style of farming. Hoggets wander away, some fall over the cliff, others get nicked. These things happen.
Similarly, if you lose 2 ewes and another 2 come in having lost their tags, how do you know which was which when you are recoding it? There should be understandng in these situations. Obviously there is balance needed as you cant have guys pretending they have 200 when they have 10, but the natural lifecycle of a hill farm is not taken into account at present.

Sheep breeder

Just wondering was it a grassland sheep or a straight sheep inspection, as for sheep on the hill all the time surly they are gathered for shearing or breeding or lambing.

MayoAreMagic

They are gathered sheep_breeder but not all together. Many flocks are in different groups in different places and it would be hugely difficult to gather them all at once. Some might stay low on one particular hill, while another group will be up high on the far side of the hill behind that one. Others might have to be brought a particular way due to the terrain etc that sends you in a different direction altogether. Then you will miss one or two along the way. They often move depending on the weather etc, or a couple might have gone in with a guy on the next hill who was gathering the week before (who may not bother telling you and instead just let them out again) so it is easy to miss some. It isnt a 1 visit job, and if you go holding them for the sake of getting all of them at once, the ones you have gathered will have eaten all the grass in the fields. So they are done in groups.
As regards lambing, many lamb them out on the hills.