Polytunnel Isolation Unit

[Rossymons]

Confused about the time, upset about the weather, lack of chocolate in the house so all out of sorts here but...

Would it be possible to run a TB isolation unit through a polytunnel which is located on a different part of the farm?

Stupid times call for stupid measures and all that!

 

[bean]

You would have to have solid sides 1.5 m high all around it or I suppose you could get away possibly with electric fence around outside

 

[som farmer]

not entirely sure its worth having an TB isolation unit, TB is, supposedly, decreasing, and the difference in calf value, for the better calves, is not that great, the crap is crap money either way.

in theory, you have to have different machinery, so no contamination between the clean and unclean. And the min wouldn't like a 'temp' building, its got to be 'escape' proof.

the youngest calves in a batch, will be 120 days, at least, old, by the time you can move them out, would a poly tunnel be either strong enough, or big enough, to hold a decent sized bunch.

we have been looking at a unit, for 50/60 calves, and have come to the conclusion, at this time, its probably not worth doing, its on the point of yes/no. Min will probably become stricter about clean and unclean cattle on one holding.

there again, with a change of guv, culling may be stopped, although the statistics for it are pretty strong, and it might become less politically important. If culling is stopped, then the answer is probably yes, if you can satisfy the mins requirements.

 

[ringi]

I think TB isolation units work best when large and in the center of arable farms that don't have other cattle.

 

[som farmer]

I think TB isolation units work best when large and in the center of arable farms that don't have other cattle.

the bug bear is filling them quickly, and from one source, this puts a number limit on it, just for practicalities.

the other advantage of having a big batch of calves, from one farm, is some of them could be weaned, or close to it, this can reduce costs quite considerably, 30 out of the 67 we bought were off milk, and 15 will be soon, which will leave us room to fill up again ............

there's a lot of swings and roundabouts to a TB unit. Know of two who have been 'removed' because min vets not happy about distances between clean, and unclean, on the same unit, one unit had been going for years.

the best way is to align yourself with a sensible dairy farmer, 250+ cows, and take every calf he doesn't want, without niggling about the poor ones.

or, as @Rossymons is thinking, perhaps to use a second away unit, to rear someone's dairy replacements, using a different holding number, and link that with the dairy farm, under 10 mls, so no problem with TB issues, if he goes down.

TB is just a fecking pain in the ass.

 

[In the pit]

Don’t think you’re allowed to do it anymore ,has too be too different holdings

 

[som farmer]

Don’t think you’re allowed to do it anymore ,has too be too different holdings

that's not difficult to organise, had one of our barns, on sons holding, no problem.