The return of rainfall and deterioration in ground conditions in some areas is starting to see a reemergence of lambs not being compliant with the clean livestock policy.
Teagasc developed an advice leaflet for farmers and hauliers last winter and it is well worth revisiting the content to reduce the risk of sheep being classified as category C under the clean livestock policy and being rejected for slaughter.
Teagasc has broken down its recommendations to concentrate on a number of different scenarios, as follows.
Outside of this, Teagasc has broken down its recommendations to concentrate on a number of different scenarios, as follows.
Finishing at grass
Drafting lambs from a grass-based diet is the most common finishing system practiced in Ireland. The following recommendations can help.
Forage/root crops
Finishing lambs on forage crops became more popular in the last two years given the increased availability of forage crops planted to meet cross compliance and the Green Low-Carbon Agri-Environmental Scheme (GLAS) requirements.
Finishing indoors
Selecting the most appropriate finishing diet
The finishing diet offered can have a significant influence on the cleanliness of lambs.
There has been a sharp increase in recent weeks in the number of farmers supplementing finishing lambs with the aim of combating the low dry matter content and lower feeding value of grass along with improving daily liveweight and slaughter performance.
The following Teagasc recommendations can help prevent feeding issues related to high-concentrate finishing diets.
Pre-sale management and transport advice
The way animals are managed in the run-up to sale can have a big bearing on their suitability for slaughter.
Firstly, animals should be handled in an environment that gives the best opportunity to prevent fleece contamination.
Handling animals on straw bedding, slats or appropriate bedding will deliver more suitable working conditions than concrete or a soiled hardcore area, for example.
Where animals have been grazing on wet underfoot and muddy conditions, then the best option may be to house animals and allow time for the fleece to dry out.
Lambs transported incorrectly can put the entire group at risk
Processors can better handle animals that are dry and somewhat soiled over those that are soiled and wet. Lambs with dirty tail ends should be dagged.
It is advisable to withdraw feed before transport, as this will greatly cut down on the potential for lambs to soil one another.
Teagasc recommends withdrawing feed for a minimum of eight hours and a maximum of 12 hours, with animals offered free access to water at all times. For animals travelling long distances, it is important to liaise with your processor.
Lambs transported incorrectly can put the entire group at risk of failing to meet the required cleanliness.
For example, one lamb with a dirty tail-end or scouring can contaminate the fleece of many more, particularly if lambs are wet when loading.
For this reason it is important to adhere to the recommendations listed above. The following Teagasc guidelines are also important to follow.
Absorbent materials should be used on the floor. Where decks are in use, ensure that faeces /urine from higher decks do not soil sheep on lower decks.
No option but to clip category C lambs
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