Many of you will have no doubt seen the Defra consultation on castration and tail docking.
The consultation is worded for individual sheep keepers, and is designed to record the thoughts and experiences of farmers. Farming context, breed, and system is hugely important to this fact-finding effort.
Your insights are vital. Please take the time to respond as organisations and please urge your members to respond. There are major economic, practical, and systems-based concerns about changing the law. It may be some of you are already mid-lambing, but do your best. We have until 9th March.
Just for background, UK laws make it an offence to interfere with sensitive tissues or bone structure other than for medical treatment. Castration and tailing with rubber rings is an exemption, justified by the role the practices have in animal welfare. The Animal Welfare Committee (independent team of mostly vets) opined that higher welfare protocols should be written into law).
The numbered bullets are my summation of Defra's proposals. Number one is more of a holistic aim.
1. Look to minimise castration and tail docking – move away from routine practice
2. Where it’s used, pain is minimised appropriately (with method or pain relief)
3. Set restrictions on who can undertake each method, how and when
4. And have UK-wide parity
5. Only allow these practices after 24 hours
6. Surgical knife/blade is vet only with anaesthetic and analgesic
7. Rubber ring and combined C and TD up to 3 months with anaesthetic and analgesic
8. Clamp (burdizzo) up to 3 months with analgesic (anaesthetic not necessary)
9. Clip up to 3 months with no pain relief (as in Scotland)
10. Remove 7-day limit
11. Hot iron up to 3 months only with anaesthetic and analgesic
12. Vet surgeon only past 3 months with anaesthetic and analgesic
Many thanks for your time and a big thank you for those who have already completed the consultation.
Kind regards
Michael Priestley, Policy Manager, National Sheep Association
