Winter Fair close of entry

Livestock exhibitors are reminded that the close of entry deadline for the 2017 Royal Ulster Winter Fair is Wednesday 29 November at 5pm.

To view this year’s prize schedule, and enter online visit www.winterfair.org.uk. Entries can also be made by contacting the RUAS directly on 028 9066 5225.

‘A Touch of Grass’

A book written by retired Omagh dairy farmer Alan Kyle is still available to buy in the Carlisle Bookshop in Omagh (phone 02882242011).

Based on diaries of his life in farming, A Touch of Grass is priced at £20, with all profits (approximately £7 per book) donated to Cancer Research UK.

The book extends to 450 pages and charts the many changes in agriculture over more than half a century.­­­­­­

Change to BSE risk status

With NI achieving negligible risk (NR) status for BSE earlier this year, DAERA has now applied new status controls for cattle on APHIS.

All cattle born and exclusively reared in NI have an NR status applied, which means there is a reduction in the risk materials that must be disposed of at slaughter, making these animals potentially more valuable to a meat processor.

From 19 November, all animals that do not meet this requirement will have a controlled risk (CR) status applied. That includes imports from outside of NI, including from the Republic of Ireland (nomads) or from Britain.

However, given that Scotland also has NR status, Scottish cattle imports could be changed if the animal is certified on a veterinary certificate as NR.

The issue also affects cattle that have left NI to attend shows in Britain or the Republic of Ireland, which will automatically receive a CR status.

Where these animals have returned to NI within 24 hours, or if longer and guarantees/ assurances are received that the animals did not receive feeding stuffs from that country, the local divisional veterinary office (DVO) can remove the CR status.

Advice from the local meat trade is to get the status changed back to NR if possible.

At slaughter, animals with a CR status will have to be segregated, and processed separately, which adds to cost and could, over time, be reflected in the price paid.