Endless paperwork frustrates Joylon Higgs

The latest Farm Assured Welsh Livestock Scheme producer manual has arrived. I support Farm Assurance as I believe the consumer, my customer, has every right to ask how their food is produced. However I think this has just gone too far.

Everything now needs a written policy that must be updated annually. There is a policy for keeping feed storage areas clean, one for dealing with complaints, another for parasite control and vaccination. Then there is the policy for farm biosecurity and another for storing muck, not to mention one for broken needles and another for soil erosion and a separate one for manure management. Don’t forget to complete your policy for nutrient management. The list is endless; and most of what goes into these policies is common sense and on most family farms does not need writing down in a document that isn’t going to be read.

In one paragraph the manual states: “Paints and preservatives must not be used in and around livestock housing and other areas where livestock have access”. What’s this about? I am sure there is not a farm in the land that does not use tanalised stakes and painted gates. It is time to stop waffling and stick to the essentials like medicine withdrawal times and most importantly animal welfare.

Now I must be off to review my Christmas policy, which details how much I can eat and drink and how not to set fire to the house with candles. Happy Christmas to you all.

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