DEFRA Animal Welfare grants.

[topground]

DEFRA decided that they know best how to spend the money that livestock farmers will now not have available through BPS and they have announced that they will fund an on farm review with your vet.
I have responded to a request for input into the scheme as a livestock keeper.
Does your vet know anything about this? I would add that the practice I use is first class.
I phoned them to ask what a review under the scheme would cost since there is no point in my applying if all the money goes straight to the Vet practice which would be a bit like business consultancy grants for visits that only benefit the consultants.
The senior partner I spoke to knew nothing about the scheme and had not been contacted by DEFRA.
This tells me that this is another DEFRA scheme that policy makers think is a jolly fine idea but have no idea how it will be put into practice.
Money has been allocated from the savings through BPS reduction but DEFRA have not it would appear to have decided how it will be managed. It could well end up like SFI which sounds wonderful if you are a desk jockey or a Wildlife Trust or the RSPB but not fit for purpose in practice to,provide any support to English food producers.
Has anyone else had a discussion with their Vet about this scheme or know anything more about it?
@Janet Hughes Defra Would you care to comment please?

 

[andybk]

Like the few farmers that are left dont know what they are doing , 20 years ago would have been the time for vet visits , a lot of the sheep people i meet these days prob know as much as the vet .
yet more needless waste of bsp funding to all these professionals that have their hand in the till .

 

[Formatted]

DEFRA decided that they know best how to spend the money that livestock farmers will now not have available through BPS and they have announced that they will fund an on farm review with your vet.

It's a bit more complicated than that, this is all part of the animal health pathway. DEFRA will fund an annual visit, and your vet will write you a report with recommendations, there will then be other pots of money you can apply for to enact their recommendations. It's a way of getting targeted funding onto farms to support animal welfare and support smaller livestock farms where investment is harder to justify. Its part of the whole public money for public goods strategy whilst keeping investment on farms.

 

[topground]

It's a bit more complicated than that, this is all part of the animal health pathway. DEFRA will fund an annual visit, and your vet will write you a report with recommendations, there will then be other pots of money you can apply for to enact their recommendations. It's a way of getting targeted funding onto farms to support animal welfare and support smaller livestock farms where investment is harder to justify. Its part of the whole public money for public goods strategy whilst keeping investment on farms.

While I admire you optimism my point is that this scheme has not been discussed with the large animal Veterinary practices that are key to it’s delivery.
It is symptomatic of the arrogant DEFRA culture that they know best and they can announce policy decisions without having any idea about how they will be delivered or how public good for public money will be delivered.
This is taxpayers money we are talking about and it is about time that civil servants started spending our money as though it was their own (which only works if they are not up to their eyes in credit card debt and are one step from bankruptcy)
Applying for grants means more work for civil servants. This is more about job creation and career prospects for civil servants. Clearly DEFRA believe livestock farmers cannot be trusted to work with vets to improve the health of their livestock and therefore the profitability of their businesses without the guiding hand of desk jockeys who wouldn’t know one end of a cow from the other.
Money that would have found it’s way into the rural economy is being soaked up by bureaucracy. These schemes are expensive to administer, never the less DEFRA are happy to deny food producers the opportunity to spend the support they previously received as they see fit.
It is a disgrace.

 

[delilah]

It's a way of getting targeted funding onto farms to support animal welfare and support smaller livestock farms where investment is harder to justify.

We have a dozen sucklers. To vaccinate for BVD and Lepto we have to buy pack sizes that inevitably entail waste, thus making the cost per animal higher than it would be for a larger enterprise.
Are Defra proposing to subsidize our vaccine purchase ? Because if not - and I would put money on it being a no - I don't understand your assertion that they are looking to support smaller livestock farms.

 

[Drillman]

Sounds to me that we all need to register ourselves as farm consultants than can collect our ‘dole cheque’ by consulting for each other instead of farming….

 

[Pan mixer]

I am sure that my vet already writes me a note each year regarding welfare and medicines and things? I pay him for it too. It is a compulsory part of this red tractor nonsense (which I am only in for a very small part of my business btw)

 

[neilo]

Like the few farmers that are left dont know what they are doing , 20 years ago would have been the time for vet visits , a lot of the sheep people i meet these days prob know as much as the vet .
yet more needless waste of bsp funding to all these professionals that have their hand in the till .

I disagree. I was talking to a couple of local sheep farmers last winter, who were running the b*stard vets down as they’d refused to supply them with the Alamycin they’d jabbed their pregnant ewes with every year. ‘What am I supposed to do about abortion?’ they’d asked, to which they were told they should have vaccinated. Neither had ever heard of those vaccines, or could understand why they shouldn’t just carry on giving prophylactic antibiotics.

I doubt the DEFRA scheme will do much to get through to folks like that though.

 

[neilo]

We have been in a Welsh scheme called Stoc+ for several years, which is very similar. The money is paid direct to our vets, who do all the paperwork for the claims.
Funding is available for a couple of vet visits a year, the vet health plan (as required for FA) and £6-700 (iirc) of testing work, etc. We have done more vet testing than we would have otherwise have done, looking for iceberg diseases, ram fertility testing, etc and likely wouldn’t have done most of that without the free funding.
My vet is very proactive on such schemes, which will be a significant income stream for them. He was very proud of the fact last year, that the practice was the only one in Wales that had used 100% of the available funding.

Happy to be in Stoc+ and take the available vet time, but I don’t consider it a particularly good use of BPS funding.

 

[JP1]

While I admire you optimism my point is that this scheme has not been discussed with the large animal Veterinary practices that are key to it’s delivery.
It is symptomatic of the arrogant DEFRA culture that they know best and they can announce policy decisions without having any idea about how they will be delivered or how public good for public money will be delivered.
This is taxpayers money we are talking about and it is about time that civil servants started spending our money as though it was their own (which only works if they are not up to their eyes in credit card debt and are one step from bankruptcy)
Applying for grants means more work for civil servants. This is more about job creation and career prospects for civil servants. Clearly DEFRA believe livestock farmers cannot be trusted to work with vets to improve the health of their livestock and therefore the profitability of their businesses without the guiding hand of desk jockeys who wouldn’t know one end of a cow from the other.
Money that would have found it’s way into the rural economy is being soaked up by bureaucracy. These schemes are expensive to administer, never the less DEFRA are happy to deny food producers the opportunity to spend the support they previously received as they see fit.
It is a disgrace.

It's a big club. If you aren't registered for BPS you can't get your free vet visit. More adherence to red tape and control and all managed by superannuated pensioned Civil Servants

Nothing sacred any more. I have to decide within a month if I should retain my HGV licence entitlement by paying a privatised GP practice a lot of cash for a piddly desk top exercise and has not a patch on a professional occupational health assessment

 

[matthew]

A couple of years ago, Dafta paid for a TB ‘advice’ visit from your vet. This presumably ton prevent herd breakdowns. I asked if a partner would come, mainly because his family farm had been under restriction for 3+ years. ‘Doctor, heal thyself?’

 

[Princess Pooper]

While I admire you optimism my point is that this scheme has not been discussed with the large animal Veterinary practices that are key to it’s delivery.
It is symptomatic of the arrogant DEFRA culture that they know best and they can announce policy decisions without having any idea about how they will be delivered or how public good for public money will be delivered.
This is taxpayers money we are talking about and it is about time that civil servants started spending our money as though it was their own (which only works if they are not up to their eyes in credit card debt and are one step from bankruptcy)
Applying for grants means more work for civil servants. This is more about job creation and career prospects for civil servants. Clearly DEFRA believe livestock farmers cannot be trusted to work with vets to improve the health of their livestock and therefore the profitability of their businesses without the guiding hand of desk jockeys who wouldn’t know one end of a cow from the other.
Money that would have found it’s way into the rural economy is being soaked up by bureaucracy. These schemes are expensive to administer, never the less DEFRA are happy to deny food producers the opportunity to spend the support they previously received as they see fit.
It is a disgrace.

They have invited vets to take part in this trial phase.

 

[Sid]

They have invited vets to take part in this trial phase.

BVA have been involved in the development

 

[wanton dwarf]

Sounds to me that we all need to register ourselves as farm consultants than can collect our ‘dole cheque’ by consulting for each other instead of farming….

Same with anything they throw at us.

Time these business consultancy payments, assurance - fudging everything was taken on by us - let's face it, we do it all anyway.

Farm on farm meetings are always fun and we always pass information both ways.

 

[Sid]

Same with anything they throw at us.

Time these business consultancy payments, assurance - fudging everything was taken on by us - let's face it, we do it all anyway.

Farm on farm meetings are always fun and we always pass information both ways.

I wouldn't say we all do it anyway.

Mention to prospective purchasers at market about BVD tag and tested, don't care, auctioneers never even read it out despite being in red on top of entry slip , maybe just the market mentality?
Going direct to another farm now who does care.

Speaking to a youngish farmer this week, mid 30's, no idea what's going on financially, cash flow,prospective drop in BPS.

Not everyone is switched on, how does the help get to those people?

Farmer to farmer is the best way to spread information, 100% agree,but you have to get those the need the information off their own farms first

 

[wanton dwarf]

Farmer to farmer is the best way to spread information, 100% agree,but you have to get those the need the information off their own farms first

Farm community.

Not gonna happen overnight. But always good to have farming friends who share information. Comes with Contracting and honest friendships.

Plenty of people out there want to take and make enemies though.

We need to stick together and build what we have internally. A good start would be manufacturing our own Fertilisers - both organic & chemical. Controlling emissions so we don't have dictats from government stating what we must do - they then be taken to court easily given we have the data to prove them wrong.

Spreading growing information and creating trading channels we can use to create better products and control market enough to plan & price. Vertical integration into retail outlets to put profit in our pockets rather than traders.

The enemy is imports & global authorities/corporations not UK farmers.

 

[Sid]

Farm community.

Not gonna happen overnight. But always good to have farming friends who share information. Comes with Contracting and honest friendships.

Plenty of people out there want to take and make enemies though.

We need to stick together and build what we have internally. A good start would be manufacturing our own Fertilisers - both organic & chemical. Controlling emissions so we don't have dictats from government stating what we must do - they then be taken to court easily given we have the data to prove them wrong.

Spreading growing information and creating trading channels we can use to create better products and control market enough to plan & price. Vertical integration into retail outlets to put profit in our pockets rather than traders.

The enemy is imports & global authorities/corporations not UK farmers.

Knowledge exchange only works if those attending are open minded.
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink! Blinkers firmly on for some, their way or the highway!

The enemy is imports & global authorities/corporations not UK farmers.

Imports only if it can not be produced in the UK, far too many imports come into this country on the back of "it also benefits (some) UK farmers.

Global corporations are massively behind GE, I wonder why? Dangerous game IMHO

 

[Tim W]

I've spoken to my vet about this & may take up the offer when it becomes available & the details are clear

Seems like an offer that may be worth taking up if---

• You are interested in flock/herd health
• You value a vets input
• Think the above can improve your bottom line and your animals welfare
• Are game for someone to foot the bill for the above
• Are a positive type who embraces help

Seems to me that lately the Aussi view of the ''whinging Pom'' probably has it's origins in the UK ag. community?

 

[Yale]

We have been in a Welsh scheme called Stoc+ for several years, which is very similar. The money is paid direct to our vets, who do all the paperwork for the claims.
Funding is available for a couple of vet visits a year, the vet health plan (as required for FA) and £6-700 (iirc) of testing work, etc. We have done more vet testing than we would have otherwise have done, looking for iceberg diseases, ram fertility testing, etc and likely wouldn’t have done most of that without the free funding.
My vet is very proactive on such schemes, which will be a significant income stream for them. He was very proud of the fact last year, that the practice was the only one in Wales that had used 100% of the available funding.

Happy to be in Stoc+ and take the available vet time, but I don’t consider it a particularly good use of BPS funding.

Our vet has been that inactive that I’ve given up and will just let it time out.

I should push more but to be honest I haven’t got the patience or time.

 

[Vader]

I've spoken to my vet about this & may take up the offer when it becomes available & the details are clear

Seems like an offer that may be worth taking up if---

• You are interested in flock/herd health
• You value a vets input
• Think the above can improve your bottom line and your animals welfare
• Are game for someone to foot the bill for the above
• Are a positive type who embraces help

Seems to me that lately the Aussi view of the ''whinging Pom'' probably has it's origins in the UK ag. community?

Problem is if your herd is top notch and healthy and you hardly use a vet as dont get much call for it, then its just some.morw of my bps i lost to give to a vet for no gain to me.
You do realise your footing the bill..?
Its your bps money they taking from you to give to a vet?