Calf in pickup

[biggles]

Is it legal to transport a calf home from market in the back of a pickup? Only need one and it always seems a hell of a faff taking 14ft trailer, especially with the weather forecast this week, cheers

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Just take the car, put the calf in a hessian bag and tie the top of the bag around the calfs neck, pop it in the boot, and no one will see or know nothing of what you have done

 

[Fendt516profi]

As long as you lift it in and out

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Don't forget to put its seat belt on.
It will be fine then.

 

[manhill]

If it gets out of the bag, name it Houdini!

 

[TripleSix]

I don't see why it shouldn't be, as long as there is sufficient ventilation

 

[Will 1594]

Just take the car, put the calf in a hessian bag and tie the top of the bag around the calfs neck, pop it in the boot, and no one will see or know nothing of what you have done

23 in a bedford dormobile van ,

 

[Al R]

Was at the mart a few years ago and a friend bought a calf cheap cheap, his mum had gone shopping in the supermarket, she came back to pick him up and he put it in the boot of her Freelander next to the shopping

 

[Fendt516profi]

My dad's tied sheep's legs and put them in boot of car when he's bought em at auction

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

This week will be difficult to transport if the new regulations come in so it will definitely have to sit in the front with the heater on to make sure it is above 5'C!

 

[shumungus]

Neighbour of mine went one winters night to get a litter of orphaned piglets as he had a gilt that had a dead litter. So off he went in the trusty Austin Maestro got the piglets and on the way home put the car on her roof in a field. What happened you? I asked him the first time I seen him. Everything was going grand he said till I went to slow down for a sharp bend and there was an awful squeal when I put my foot on the brake pedal, there was a pig below it, by the time I got it out of the way I was already halfway through the hedge!

 

[biggles]

Thanks for all the replies II feel a bit happier that I’m not breaking any laws now. Pick up is clean and can be washed and disinfected easy enough so to me it did seem the best option, unfortunately the law doesn’t include logic and common sense most of the time, cheers

 

[Al R]

@Frank-the-Wool should know if it’s illegal or not but I’d take the risk Had a farmer/plumber turn up after 2 rams year before last, he asked could I raddle them (oil raddle) as they were going straight into ewes, I thought the van would be empty, full to the gunnels with plumbing tools got 2 rams in and he drove off a few hours up the road with red raddle vegetable oil on them

 

[Danllan]

After moving back this way, on the first shopping trip into town - a market day - the car in front of us at the lights had several calves in the back, I think it was a Daihatsu. Mrs Danllan just turned to me and gave me look that said 'Seriously...?', I told her she'd met my family, and there were others even more so...

 

[Steevo]

If it’s good enough for Adam on Countryfile....

 

[BELOWAVERAGE]

Thanks for all the replies II feel a bit happier that I’m not breaking any laws now. Pick up is clean and can be washed and disinfected easy enough so to me it did seem the best option, unfortunately the law doesn’t include logic and common sense most of the time, cheers

Don't get carried away thinking your not breaking any laws, because even if there isn't one they'll make one up, 37 years ago me and a mate loaded a reared calf in to a little Daihatsu pick up using a small bale of straw, some one blocked us in and phoned the rspca, went to court, £375 each for not having a ramp. (the person who blocked us in did have an axe to grind)

 

[Lincs Lass]

Plenty of sheep in cars or back of vans ,,non of them belong to the driver though.

 

[Highland Mule]

Don't get carried away thinking your not breaking any laws, because even if there isn't one they'll make one up, 37 years ago me and a mate loaded a reared calf in to a little Daihatsu pick up using a small bale of straw, some one blocked us in and phoned the rspca, went to court, £375 each for not having a ramp. (the person who blocked us in did have an axe to grind)

That’s my understanding - something in law about a ramp and side gates, maximum ramp angle etc. That said, I had ten weaned lambs in the back of my 110 not too long ago.
@JP1 ?

 

[JP1]

That’s my understanding - something in law about a ramp and side gates, maximum ramp angle etc. That said, I had ten weaned lambs in the back of my 110 not too long ago.
@JP1 ?

It's not written down in law / codes "as such"

If there is a ramp it has to have the correct ramp angle for species, no actual requirement for loading gates

Using a vehicle without ramp for younger animals MAY be OK but you open yourself up to other's interpretation of welfare / biosecurity etc. That's why you hear some folks who have been docked "sub" for "non compliance"

I'd be interested to hear from dairy farmers what their supply contracts say on moving calves etc


I've often wondered with L200's towing clearly overweight trailers, the new 5 degree recommendations etc what the view would be to move livestock on the hoof in moving pens like the Germans do

 

[Dry Rot]

Surely, if there's a weldmesh rear gate, it's easy enough to tie a piece of old bag over it? If they can't see the calf, it isn't illegal!

I had a problem with air crew off loading a dog in a travelling kennel if it was seen to be drooling. It's a fact of life that some dogs drool when mildly stressed. Nothing wrong with them, they just do it. Like travel sickness. To the amateur, that may be interpreted as illness, so I suppose they are trying to do the right thing. The International Association for Air Transport Association official vet suggested putting a sheet of fine mesh over the kennel door so folk couldn't look in. Problem solved.