Where's all cattle gone?

[Bill dog]

I'm not going to get a job with the Ayrshire tourist board any time soon !

 

[___\0/___]

Haven't been to Ayr beach for ages. We usually take the kids to Culzean Castle or Dumfries house for a local visit. Some really nice places in Ayrshire if you know where to go.

As for living here if it is the same as most other areas with cuts to education, health services etc. If you were bringing a family up here some bits of Ayrshire would be best avoided.

I would say agricultural wise we are very well catered for.

 

[davieh3350]

Well the supermarkets only have themselves to blame...if they'd paid a decent price all the way then folks may of invested and stuck at the job....how do they expect any 20 year olds to invest £1200-£2k per cow and calf and buy a decent enough number to make a start...that's without even taking into account sheds and machinery....there's going to big big changes to uk beef in the next 10 years

Farmers have themselves to blame for supplying them with cheap beef.

But as there's always someone needing to off load stock as you can't keep a hold of them for long before feed runs out, then we're screwed as you have to take what you're offered...

We should be getting together and put pressure on the government to give local/high street shops that sell home grown produce a good deal on business rates and red tape.
Same for the processors.
It's a 130 mile round trip for me to get animals private killed if I head south, north it's a 150 mile trip. ( Dingwall north of Inverness is the nearest place north of here to get sheep done, 110/120 miles away) is that not wrong after all the talk about food miles?

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Farmers have themselves to blame for supplying them with cheap beef.

But as there's always someone needing to off load stock as you can't keep a hold of them for long before feed runs out, then we're screwed as you have to take what you're offered...

We should be getting together and put pressure on the government to give local/high street shops that sell home grown produce a good deal on business rates and red tape.
Same for the processors.
It's a 130 mile round trip for me to get animals private killed if I head south, north it's a 150 mile trip. ( Dingwall north of Inverness is the nearest place north of here to get sheep done, 110/120 miles away) is that not wrong after all the talk about food miles?

I can't say I have the answers but something needs to be done to take away some power from these supermarkets as they're getting too big and too greedy....as a country we need a secure uk food supply and not be relying on imports...if things fail abroad or god forbid there's a world war we are screwed

 

[RedMerle]

I'd never heard folk hurling abuse at the police till I went to Ayr. The state of the beach at the end of a sunny Saturday in the summer was sickening too.

Anywhere the Waverley docks and accidentally leaves drunk passengers behind is also a candidate for drunk abuse at polis when they realise they are stranded and nowhere will give them a room!

I've noticed a massive decline in the last 10 years. Used to go shopping a lot in Ayr and then the last time I went shopping there everything was closing down.

And then where I was in Argyll the tourism has dropped with the recession.

 

[Chae1]

I'd never heard folk hurling abuse at the police till I went to Ayr. The state of the beach at the end of a sunny Saturday in the summer was sickening too.

Probably mainly weedgies down for a day out on the train.

I wonder if the documentary the scheme is still available online! ? Was a interesting insight into life in urban Ayrshire.

 

[glasshouse]

gordon browns fuel hike and bse started the livestock clearance
£1 for a cast ewe and £300 for a cow fairly knackered a load of farms, and govt schemes to let the rushes grow did the rest.
then the beef passport nonsense got rid of another tranche of farmers.

 

[Chae1]

gordon browns fuel hike and bse started the livestock clearance
£1 for a cast ewe and £300 for a cow fairly knackered a load of farms, and govt schemes to let the rushes grow did the rest.
then the beef passport nonsense got rid of another tranche of farmers.

How are beef passports nonsense? Why did they get rid of a tranche of farmers?

 

[glasshouse]

How are beef passports nonsense? Why did they get rid of a tranche of farmers?

I know plenty of older farmers who couldnt or wouldnt get to grips with passports, so the cattle went.
I know one farmer who had over 100 BIG bullocks rendered down by the department as he hadnt applied for passports.

 

[Frodo2]

How are beef passports nonsense? Why did they get rid of a tranche of farmers?

while i agree they are necessary (i want my food to be traceable) I think there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that what Glasshouse says is true. Farmers dont like paperwork and even the perception will put some of. its possibly been an opportunity for the professional farmer, but toxic to the hobby/way of life farmer.

 

[Rebecca]

I really really want to move to Scotland...and bring my cows! Sadly I think it is a bit of a pipe dream. And the midges always munch me excessively although I guess they would get fed up after a while of my English blood!!

On a serious note, I think the cost makes it nearly impossible to start in cows, i had a yard and arable land which my mum owns, and thankfully got a very cheap old (but perfectly fine) crush! I use someone else's teleporter, and pay someone else for baling although I do get straw and stock feed potatos for free, and I borrow a bull to get him out my cousins way for 4 months a year!

I work off the farm to help fund the cows (and my joules addiction) and my husband works on his farm too.

My stock has been built up over 2 years so far, from buying in 10 calves which are just now starting to calve their first lot, and as I can afford bringing in an in calf cow now and then. I have a grand total of 24 cattle now which is peanuts to a lot of people!!

But at least everything I have is ours, and I don't owe anyone anything and when I eventually do start selling fattened cattle, I think it will be all the more satisfying for it!

 

[Cowgirl]

U wouldn't like it now! I had the great misfortune of having to venture into ayr yesterday. It's a derelict dump. The high street is half empty, to let signs everywhere, pawn shops are the only thriving industry, yet it was still full of the pram pushing, tattoo covered, dead eyed masses of the unwashed !!!! Yea god, I was delighted to get back to the sticks!!

Quite agree with you - totally different from when we moved here in 2004. It seems that there are still plenty of cattle in this area though, albeit more beef and less dairy herds? Or do you think there are less than there used to be in Ayrshire?

 

[multi power]

I just had a quick look on line at farms for sale in Scotland, don't see any bargains, seen one Aberdeen, how long would winter be?

 

[Northeastfarmer]

I Aberdeen, how long would winter be?

12 months

 

[choochter]

I just had a quick look on line at farms for sale in Scotland, don't see any bargains, seen one Aberdeen, how long would winter be?

5 - 7 months

 

[Henarar]

5 - 7 months

Interesting, what do you call a winter ? if its when the cows have to be inside then that is not much different from down here

 

[choochter]

yes, when the cows have to be inside.
If you leave them outside after November they likely make a mess, and then not much grass til April/May. Mine get silage inside but can go outside to graze or stand in the sun, but I only have 25 cows. Or outwinter but plough after.

 

[CharcoalWally]

So how far north are you guys talking? I'm going to have a look at a map, it's 24 years since I was last in Scotland, that was a day trip up to Ayr, I liked what I seen

Ah , so 1993 , that would explain it.

A freak year , an exceptionally kind end to the Winter leading to an unusually early Spring. There were cows rearing Autumn born suckled calves out at grass here on this farm on April 26th. The only year I've ever had an April turnout here , I'm still waiting for the next one.

So that's the earliest ever turnout , and the latest one was 2015 , June 6th , so that's the span. If the weather's reasonable, you'll have cows out 'til November , if not , you might have them in in October.

At worst , you could be looking at an 8 month Winter. 6 months is average , that would be a normal year. Hardy , thick skinned cows will out winter on hill ground.

 

[CharcoalWally]

How are beef passports nonsense? Why did they get rid of a tranche of farmers?

The implementation of passports was extremely controversial in the late 90's. It was considered unpopular and unworkable at the time , and met a lot of resistance from the industry.

Undoubtedly it did drive a number of farmers from the industry at the time as it invoked more cross compliance requirements threatening sub payments at a time when the beef industry was in a dire state , and farmers simply could not afford to lose support money , it was as black and white as that.

Therefore some decided not to take on board the risk and the extra paperwork involved , and chose to get rid of the cows.

I would point out that the BCMS did not operate anything like as comparitively smoothly back then as it does today.

 

[Henarar]

yes, when the cows have to be inside.
If you leave them outside after November they likely make a mess, and then not much grass til April/May. Mine get silage inside but can go outside to graze or stand in the sun, but I only have 25 cows. Or outwinter but plough after.

last "winter" here was hardly 5 months, winter 12/13 was easy 7 months, we have spring grass in march/April but sometimes can't use it cos its to wet