Cattle sale lifeline

9 August 2002

Cattle sale lifeline

CATTLE producers under TB restrictions can still sell stock in certain circumstances, offering a lifeline to many farmers who face losing cows, milk and store cattle sales to TB, says Richard Jones of Mole Livestock Initiative.

Many producers under TB restrictions believe they can only move finished animals off the farm. "But when producers are able to find a calf rearer who is also under restriction then they may be able to sell calves to them," says Mr Jones.

But he admits it may take some time and requires specialised licensing from DEFRA.

There may also be opportunities for finishers to set up dedicated units for finishing cattle from TB-restricted store cattle producers. But this will need full DEFRA approval.