DEPRESSION SUPPORT- Anonymous posting is possible, see note in post #1.

Hello again.

Well long story short a family member of mine got in touch with a local TD and as far as I know, it's all sorted! Apparently they have no right to make me sell my animals.

I didn't know that these phone calls had taken place and only the family member reported it to me at lunchtime. To be honest I'm not sure what to expect now from the department Incase they decide to kick back but i suppose time will tell.

I'm going to try and get in touch with the TD over the week and I'll let you know more if anyone is interested?

Otherwise I want to thank everyone for their words of kindness, wisdom, rebellion and motivation!

So thank you very much!
Best regards, Mike.

Hello.

I'm delighted so don't take me up wrong but I am a little apprehensive at what might happen with the department simply because of wounded pride. They were so adamant about selling the animals. But also I'm hurt by them for forcing their opinion across as law! Isn't farming hard enough without having to contend with that sort of behavior from them?

Please check on your neighbors. Heard today guy not so far away from me has been sectioned. Dept were out apparently put down cattle won't say the number but its high. Another number were in laying dead around place. He had no feed for them. We not out of woods yet im west cork anyhow. Apparently another 5 farmers in same place he is. Never know whats going on in farmers yard. Costs nothing to say hello!

gr8 m8 wrote: »

Hello again.

So I had the department back on to me. They knew nothing about the TD getting involved and were angry at my lack of progress in selling the animals. I completely threw my family member under the bus in explaining that I hadn't contacted anyone and the response was "what were they hoping to accomplish?".

I leveled with them in every aspect of what was going on and explained how I will do anything just to hold onto the best of my cattle. They said to sell everything else and when I m down to that then we will negotiate.

They warned that if a big push is not put in for the next 2 weeks then it becomes a more formal matter and the trucks will be sent in and I will be left with nothing! I told them that if that is to happen then they better bring plenty help because I understand that they are only doing their job and I will only be protecting my livelihood!

I rang the office of the TD and asked what was going on, they explained that it seems to be that my family member (aka my mother) only told them a rose tinted version of what was going on! I told them everything then and they still don't understand why I have to destock!

I've decided to go ahead with the plan of drastically cutting numbers to a more manageable proportion and then going back to the department to see what they say before going back to the TD.

But Jesus I am tied in knot's again by my mother's carry on. She won't speak to me now because I gave out to her for interfering the way she did without my knowledge and then only giving a story that mistakes opinion for fact!

I really wish I had someone to lean on going through this but I just seem to be on my own.

Anyway that is the update and I wish it was better news but there you go.

Do you have an ag advisor ? If not I think it would be well worthwhile to get one and put together a plan that you can comfortably work with for the next year and that the dept can accept and hopefully step back .
If there is no one else around during these dept visits for support then get the advisor to stand in and help fight your corner .
Are the dept giving notice of their visits or just calling unannounced ?

Hello again.

My plan for the department is:

21 cows
Because I have a 3 bay slatted shed, so that is 7 cows/bay. Each bay is 20 ft deep by the width of the bay which is the standard 15ft or so.

1 bull
easy calving so as to avoid any hardships during calving season

Calves in March and April,
Wean in September,
Sell in the mart in October.

I have the 25 acres of traditional hay meadow in GLAS so I will have beyond ample fodder for 20 odd cows.

Any replacement heifer's will be calved at 24 months but even then I will hold the herd at 21 breeding cows by either substituting the cows or selling the heifer.

That is the plan that I am going to put to the department when the time comes!

Any suggestions?

Hi Sorry to hear that you are still in trouble, I really hoped that you had it sorted.
You will get loads of help with practical farming matters here but we need more information if you don't mind.


How many acres do you have, what numbers and ages of animals did you over winter and what other housing have you available?

Are you working full-time or part-time?

Have the department given you a notice in writing or this all being done verbally?

Above all , you have to look after yourself. We have all come through a very,very tough winter, most farmers struggled at times, but the weather is finally turning, even the worst of the fields are greening, we just might be out the otherside.

Bullocks wrote: »

I can understand not wanting anyone knowing your business . Certainly don't be afraid to bounce ideas around here if it helps .

If you are not memeber of teagasc and based in cork/kerry ring owen o Driscoll ag advisor in skibbereen. He is independent and current president of ag advisors nationally so if not local he will point you in direction of someone who can work with you through your present situation. For god sake man, do it first thing in morning cant be easy having that hanging over your shoulders.

Gr8 M8 that msg is for you btw.

Base price wrote: »

Can the Dept force a farmer/part time farmer to destock fully. I always got the impression from reading media articles that a Judge (through the Courts) could only make that decision. I understand on animal health and welfare grounds the Dept can make arrangements to reduce numbers but I didn't think it included full destocking.
Edit re destocking: excluding illegal movements, hormone use etc.

It was done here locally in the last twelve mths, Guards, lorries and Department arrived early one morning....more than likely there was a court order involved..
There's another farm here where the department is involved and really he should be gone years ago...really not fair on the animals.
Dept. really gives people every chance

wrangler wrote: »

It was done here locally in the last twelve mths, Guards, lorries and Department arrived early one morning....more than likely there was a court order involved..
There's another farm here where the department is involved and really he should be gone years ago...really not fair on the animals.
Dept. really gives people every chance

Hello,

I have read this message several times and I have thought that it might even echo my own experience!

But in saying that, it also echoes other people's involvement! I hear all these things from the department, I hear whispers and all that carry on. When I am working I see neighbors looking over walls and ditches, I spot cars slowing down, if I go to the Mart I see the farmer next door sitting there when my animals enter the ring.

I know that people have their own things going on and are busy. But of all the people I see, I have only ever been visited by one person to ask me what the hell I was thinking? Carrying on the way I have been.

We talked for a while, I was obviously in a hurry to get things done so we left it there! I looked at an animal that night and for some reason I managed to convince myself that animal would not make it through the night! It completely broke my spirit!

In the small hours of that night I decided to do something very foolish by other people's standards, but I had enough of it all and it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Obviously I am here tonight to talk about it. A few days went past and that man gives me a call asking how I am doing and just says to me that I frightened him that night. He tells me how he has never seen someone look so tired and struggle so hard to put together a sentence and then leave, not to go to bed but to go do work.

My point is that while people say that someone should not be farming, they say that such a person is a bad farmer, that the department give you every chance. How many people actually say that to the farmer in person? Not say it to put them down but to help them realise that they are in a rut and people can see it!

It is very easy to judge a person for doing a bad job, it's easy to talk about that person and think they are silly or lazy or incompetent. But the strength in that person could be fantastic, they might not know how to quite. Willing to perish on this rock before submitting?

Soldiers did this and do it today.
Athletes do this.
Business people do this.
Parents do this.

They keep going despite the odds, it's an everyday accurace and we constantly hear about the success stories! But maybe these people who should have been gone years ago are the people who just couldn't get it over the line?

Or maybe they are like me? Just another bad farmer!

Thank you.

gr8 m8 wrote: »

Hello,

I have read this message several times and I have thought that it might even echo my own experience!

But in saying that, it also echoes other people's involvement! I hear all these things from the department, I hear whispers and all that carry on. When I am working I see neighbors looking over walls and ditches, I spot cars slowing down, if I go to the Mart I see the farmer next door sitting there when my animals enter the ring.

I know that people have their own things going on and are busy. But of all the people I see, I have only ever been visited by one person to ask me what the hell I was thinking? Carrying on the way I have been.

We talked for a while, I was obviously in a hurry to get things done so we left it there! I looked at an animal that night and for some reason I managed to convince myself that animal would not make it through the night! It completely broke my spirit!

In the small hours of that night I decided to do something very foolish by other people's standards, but I had enough of it all and it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Obviously I am here tonight to talk about it. A few days went past and that man gives me a call asking how I am doing and just says to me that I frightened him that night. He tells me how he has never seen someone look so tired and struggle so hard to put together a sentence and then leave, not to go to bed but to go do work.

My point is that while people say that someone should not be farming, they say that such a person is a bad farmer, that the department give you every chance. How many people actually say that to the farmer in person? Not say it to put them down but to help them realise that they are in a rut and people can see it!

It is very easy to judge a person for doing a bad job, it's easy to talk about that person and think they are silly or lazy or incompetent. But the strength in that person could be fantastic, they might not know how to quite. Willing to perish on this rock before submitting?

Soldiers did this and do it today.
Athletes do this.
Business people do this.
Parents do this.

They keep going despite the odds, it's an everyday accurace and we constantly hear about the success stories! But maybe these people who should have been gone years ago are the people who just couldn't get it over the line?

Or maybe they are like me? Just another bad farmer!

Thank you.

How many people actually say that to the farmer in person??

None if any. That's what's wrong with our society we like to point and judge and talk about people that are in a worse/different situation than ourselves. Rather than call to help and give support it is a lot easier to sit back and judge. The later is seen as the coolest option. THAT'S OUR SOCIETY!

Just signed a book of condolences for a colleague of ours. It's difficult to even put in words what a terribly sad thing it is for someone to take their own life.
On the outside it looked as if this girl had no worries and would have been the envy of many.
Depression is cruel disease. I don't know what can be done to help people who are suffering but I suppose all we can do is watch out for those around us and, as Muckit said above, reach out with a helping hand and maybe an open ear. And don't forget yourself either!

Timmaay wrote: »

This chap is fairly controversial but raises some brilliant points. https://youtu.be/qmKtyeQ9Ikk

His other videos are well worth watching too.

Muckit wrote: »

A little help is better than a terrible lot of pity.

Absolutely. I have no time for people who say "I cannot help you but you can talk to me any time". I don't have time to talk to people like that - do they want me to entertain them with my problems so they can feel better about themselves?