Farmer focus, livestock: Bryan Griffith is impressed with new pair of rams

With the whole farm now available to them, I had hoped the breeding ewe flock would have adequate grazing to see them into the New Year, with little attention required. But after a light dusting of snow and persistent day and night frosts, they seemed to appreciate the sweet haylage offered to them.

Our two new cross-bred rams ran with a flock of 160 ewes for 19 days before being changed for fresh sheep. To my surprise raddle marks indicate there are only half a dozen returns.

With a few less cattle on hand, they are comfortably and spaciously housed, helping to reduce the straw usage. As usual we have clipped out their backs and dosed them for fluke and worms.

The proposed EBLEX levy increase has caused much debate. The principle of collecting a levy is not in question, but it must be spent appropriately and wisely.

I read with interest that the UK can now export sheep meat to Ghana. Researching the requirements of this and other new markets together with the promotion of English produce is beyond the capacity of an individual farmer and is clearly a job for our marketing team at EBLEX. But our requirement for glossy wall calendars and booklets is already covered by commercial firms seeking to get their logo on the kitchen table, and guidance on livestock health and management is a matter for a farmer, his vet and chosen advisers.

With the approaching New Year comes the prospect of phase two of the introduction of EID and the need for more individual recording. Unless and until electronic tags and readers at central point recording centres are reliable and accurate, then this scheme must inevitably degenerate into a farce, leading to some hapless farmer being fined for non-compliance of unworkable rules.