UK re-ignites live export ban

The UK government has introduced a bill to parliament at Westminster which will prohibit the live export of livestock, including cattle, sheep and pigs from Britain for fattening or slaughter outside of the UK.

If put into law, the legislation will also prevent anyone from Ireland using Britain as a route to access the EU mainland with live animals.

Poultry are not covered in the provisions of the bill and it will still be possible to move livestock if they are going for breeding or competitions.

The live exports bill does not apply to NI.

There have been no live exports for fattening or slaughter from Britain since December 2020 and the bill will ban them permanently.

Public think food targets are important

The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) used the results of a public opinion poll to back up several of its key demands to MPs in Westminster on Monday.

The poll of 2,315 adults in England and Wales found that 84% of respondents think food production targets are either as important, or more important, than environmental targets for farming.

Similarly, 71% of respondents said farmers don’t get enough credit for keeping food on shelves and 82% think it would be a good idea for the government to set targets to increase food production.

In its manifesto published ahead of next year’s general election, the NFU has asked politicians to set “a clear commitment to a budget that underpins domestic food production and delivers for the environment”.

The NFU also wants a new “food security index” to monitor domestic production and assess the viability of the food sector.

“We must not fall into the trap that we can simply import our food needs from other countries – we’ve seen that approach fail before,” said NFU president Minette Batters.

More cases of bluetongue found in England

Several more cases of bluetongue have been detected in England over the past week, including the first case in sheep since the current outbreak began last month.

In total, 11 cases of the disease have been found on six different premises. The latest incident involved two cases in cattle on a farm near Cantley in Norfolk, which was outside the existing temporary control zone.

All other cases have been within the Kent area, including the case detected in a single sheep.

The UK government has said there is no evidence that the bluetongue virus is circulating between livestock in Britain.

DAERA propose minor change to penalties

A minor change to the penalty regime for certain agri environment schemes has been proposed by DAERA.

From 1 January 2024, it is proposed that farmers with a repeated negligent rule breach will not be deemed to have an intentional breach and will therefore have penalties capped at 15% of payments.

The proposal applies to schemes which are co-funded by EU money until the end of this year, such as the Environmental Farming Scheme and the Small Woodland Grant Scheme.

The same change to UK government funded schemes, such as the Basic Payment Scheme, already took place in 2022.

DAERA consulted a range of stakeholder groups on the proposal in the autumn, although only one reply was received.

The sole response came from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the environmental group appear to be opposed to the proposed change.

In a document published on Tuesday, DAERA points out that the proposal “does not alter the definition of an intentional non-compliance”.

“Work is now proceeding on the writing and laying of legislation to introduce a more proportionate regime in respect of repetition,” the department said.

Barenbrug launches new NI tetraploids

Two new ryegrass varieties will be commercially available to purchase through Barenbrug UK during the spring of 2024.

Tollymore and Killylea are both tetraploid grasses bred at AFBI’s Loughgall site and offer farmers new options for high palatability forage with excellent voluntary intakes.

Tollymore is classed as an intermediate maturing ryegrass with a typical heading date around 23 May. It produces high yields under grazing and silage trials, particularly in first cuts.

Killylea is a late-maturing tetraploid with a heading date around 3 June and bred specifically to suit NI growing conditions.

It has produced strong growth and yields throughout the season, especially in the shoulders of the year.

Sheep and goat inventory due by 30 December

Sheep and goat farmers in NI are required by law to complete the annual stock inventory for 2023 before 30 December.

To complete the inventory, farmers must provide information on the number of sheep and goats on farm between Friday 1 and Wednesday 5 December.

Two options are available to submit the relevant information, starting with NIFAIS online which replaced APHIS online earlier this year.

Option two

The second option is via a “snapsurvey” link. All registered keepers of sheep and goats will have received a letter with a unique code.