Loughans Angus sale in January

The pedigree Loughans Aberdeen Angus herd owned by Rory and John Best will hold a production sale of in-calf cows and heifers, plus young breeding bulls, on 6 and 7 January 2023.

The herd is fully performance recorded, AFBI herd health accredited, and vaccinated against BVD, Lepto and IBR.

All females have been pregnancy-scanned with breeding bulls semen-tested in advance of the sale. Bulls can be retained on the Bests’ farm until February.

Animals can be viewed in advance of the sale on 5 January from 1pm to 8pm at Acton House Farm, Poyntzpass BT35 6TA. All animals will be sold online via MartEye and Markethill Livestock Mart.

Sheep inventory deadline approaches

The annual DAERA sheep and goat inventory must be completed by 30 December 2022. The inventory is filled out online and can be accessed using the DAERA online service.

Flockowners are required to include details on the number of sheep on their holding between 1 and 5 December 2022. This information should also be recorded in the on-farm flock register.

Failure to complete the inventory increases the possibility of an identification inspection.

Bird flu won’t take Christmas break, says Huey

Avian influenza will continue to pose a “real and present danger” to the NI poultry sector throughout the Christmas holidays, DAERA chief vet Dr Robert Huey has said.

In a statement, Huey reminded bird keepers to conduct daily checks on the biosecurity of poultry units.

“Avian flu is a cunning and determined virus and could wipe out your flock within a matter of days. It will exploit any gaps in your biosecurity, so it is vital that you check this every day,” he said.

This includes ensuring feed and bedding is protected from rodents and wild birds, checking for gaps in housing, cleaning footwear every time you visit birds and regularly cleaning and disinfecting hard surfaces.

“Practising constant excellent biosecurity, which now includes having your birds housed, is the single most important action you can take to protect your birds and our industry from future disease incursions,” Huey said.

Migrant farm labour scheme expands again

The UK government could allow up to 55,000 migrant workers to come to the UK to harvest fruit and vegetables in 2023.

Under the seasonal workers visa scheme, foreign workers can come to the UK for up to six months each year. It was initially launched in 2019 when only 2,500 visas were available. This increased to 10,000 visas for the 2020 harvest, then 30,000 visas for 2021 and 2022.

The UK government is making 45,000 visas available for 2023, although it could increase by another 10,000 if necessary.

National Farmers’ Union deputy president Tom Bradshaw described the increase in visas as “a positive step forward”.

“For some growers, this announcement will have come too late with some already having made the difficult decision to reduce production in the coming season,” he added.

UFU support new proposals on BVD

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) supports all proposed changes to the BVD eradication scheme that were put forward by DAERA earlier this year.

“The UFU are fully supportive of all measures that will help us in our efforts as we work towards eradicating BVD as quickly and effectively as possible,” said deputy president John McLenaghan.

In October 2022, DAERA set out proposed changes to BVD rules as part of a public consultation. This includes giving farmers 28 days to cull BVD positive calves before full restrictions on movements into and out of their herd are put in place.

“It’s critical that a full suite of measures is implemented in order to be successful in eradicating BVD in the near future,” McLenaghan said.

Moy Park director appointed QUB professor

Ursula Lavery has been appointed honorary Professor of Practice at the Institute for Global Food Security and School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast.

Lavery is technical and research director at Moy Park and is also vice-chair of the NI Food and Drink Association.

She has worked in various projects with Queen’s in the past, including research into supply chain traceability and animal welfare.

“Ursula Lavery brings invaluable experience in the area of food safety, food quality, food microbiology, food standards and legislation,” said Professor Nigel Scollan from Queen’s.