Sheep welfare funding

Robin2020

Member
Livestock Farmer
An article popped up on my phone the other day through google. It discussed funding for sheep farmers in the UK, and figures of £10 a ewe were involved. The conditions included:

* having suitable feet issue treatments
* Scanning before lambing
* Using correct fly treatments
* Feeding lambs post weening

etc etc.

It all looked sensible to me as I do these things anyway. Its just I can no longer find the link.... :(
Can anyone help? Do others use such a scheme and if so, what are the pitfalls?? It sounds almost too good to be true as £10 would cover many of the yearly costs with each ewe...
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
An article popped up on my phone the other day through google. It discussed funding for sheep farmers in the UK, and figures of £10 a ewe were involved. The conditions included:

* having suitable feet issue treatments
* Scanning before lambing
* Using correct fly treatments
* Feeding lambs post weening

etc etc.

It all looked sensible to me as I do these things anyway. Its just I can no longer find the link.... :(
Can anyone help? Do others use such a scheme and if so, what are the pitfalls?? It sounds almost too good to be true as £10 would cover many of the yearly costs with each ewe...

Are you sure that's for the UK? Ireland are apparently implementing that scheme (the Sheep Welfare Scheme) currently, with payments of 10 euros per ewe.
They are changing it so that you need to buy a recorded & genotyped ram (or two if you have more than 150 ewes). This is part of the CAP that was going to fall apart in the EU when they didn't have our funds remember. :censored:

In Wales, we have a similar scheme to the one linked to by @Bury the Trash , called Stok+. Like in that DEFRA article, there is no payment, but it does pay for vet visits, and health & welfare plan (as required by RT) and diagnostic work for your chosen topics. It is funded by the EU Rural Development Program, so will be phased out in time I expect.
I've been on it for a couple of years, looking for iceberg diseases and trace element issues. It means I do more diagnostic work than I would otherwise do, but I don't get paid money for it. Unsurprisingly the vets are very keen on it as a scheme.
 

Robin2020

Member
Livestock Farmer
Are you sure that's for the UK? Ireland are apparently implementing that scheme (the Sheep Welfare Scheme) currently, with payments of 10 euros per ewe.
They are changing it so that you need to buy a recorded & genotyped ram (or two if you have more than 150 ewes). This is part of the CAP that was going to fall apart in the EU when they didn't have our funds remember. :censored:

In Wales, we have a similar scheme to the one linked to by @Bury the Trash , called Stok+. Like in that DEFRA article, there is no payment, but it does pay for vet visits, and health & welfare plan (as required by RT) and diagnostic work for your chosen topics. It is funded by the EU Rural Development Program, so will be phased out in time I expect.
I've been on it for a couple of years, looking for iceberg diseases and trace element issues. It means I do more diagnostic work than I would otherwise do, but I don't get paid money for it. Unsurprisingly the vets are very keen on it as a scheme.
Yes Neilo I must have seen the Irish version. I was in the fields at the time and didn't notice. Pitty.....£10 a ewe would be awesome!
The new scheme sounds OK. Nothing to lose really...Nice to get the vets out for free....
 

Herb9

Member
Livestock Farmer
There increasing the sheep welfare scheme to €12 with us now

new rule is to buy a genotyped ram or get your own done for approx €15
€30 was mentioned widely pre Covid. Rise in farm gate price and the looming Covid bill put and end to that though.
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
There increasing the sheep welfare scheme to €12 with us now

new rule is to buy a genotyped ram or get your own done for approx €15
€12 per ewe per year? 😮
All that’s left for that ewe to pay then is her rent for the year and she’s making money 😮
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
€12 per ewe per year? 😮
All that’s left for that ewe to pay then is her rent for the year and she’s making money 😮

And that’s on top of the BPS that will be settling to around €170/ha after convergence iirc, with 30% greening payments on top if farmers satisfy various requirements.

I understand those requirements can be using a GPS controlled fert spreader, planting 3 trees (or 1m of hedge) per ha per year, or committing to soil test & lime accordingly (one for @Cab-over Pete there👍), etc.

This is the level of support our neighbouring competitors will be enjoying as our government throws us into the brave new world…😡
 

JSmith

Member
Livestock Farmer
Well you will vote tory
An what will those other barstewards do to us?? What farming loving political party have we got? Every body else wants to plant trees an pay dole dossers to have more kids because they’re emotionally effected by thinking they might be the first in three generations of their family to get a job!!! Who else that’s for the business man is there to vote for??
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
An what will those other barstewards do to us?? What farming loving political party have we got? Every body else wants to plant trees an pay dole dossers to have more kids because they’re emotionally effected by thinking they might be the first in three generations of their family to get a job!!! Who else that’s for the business man is there to vote for??
Labour has always looked after farmers, not landowners
Unlike tories
 

Tim W

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Wiltshire
I seem to remember the other parties had similar ideas too, once free of the shackles of the CAP.

It’s nothing that wasn’t foreseeable, pre-referendum.
I think that at the last election Labour were mooting a policy of continuing support in much the same way as the old system under CAP ?
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.1%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 6 3.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,287
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top