winter forage

28 September 2001




Cull cows eat

winter forage

By Marianne Curtis

CULL dairy cows are eating into valuable winter forage stocks and over-30-month scheme capacity must be increased to avert winter welfare problems.

Speaking to farmers weekly at the Dairy Event, Farmers For Actions David Handley said south-west and Welsh producers were facing particular difficulties. "There is no rendering capacity for OTMS cattle in Wales. One dairy cow consumes more feed than several lambs, so the potential for welfare problems is high."

Although lack of rendering capacity due to the foot-and-mouth cull has been blamed for the backlog of OTMS cows, Mr Handley believes this is being used as an excuse. "There is capacity, but I believe abattoir owners and DEFRA lack the will to address the problem. F&M culling is at a much lower level now than earlier in the year, so more OTMS cattle should be processed.

"I suspect abattoir owners are finding it more lucrative to put through younger cattle and lambs, which is why OTMS cows are being shunned," he added.

However, the OTMS situation is improving in some areas. Glos-based producer David Haine expects to move six cull cows from his 80-cow organic herd on to OTMS in three weeks time. "The Bristol abattoir where OTMS cows go is only able to process on a limited number of days due to a lack of meat hygiene inspectors. This is because inspectors are performing F&M duties."

Having to send large loads of OTMS cows also means the scheme is less flexible than previously, says Staffs-based producer John Giles. "We moved 10 three weeks ago, but still have a couple to go. Large batches are required because of transport costs, but some producers have successfully sold cows in smaller numbers."

Limited OTMS capacity has caused particular problems for flying herds, according to Robert Latham, who runs such a herd near Wrexham. "We hope 12-20 cows will go on the scheme this week, but this has been postponed 2-3 times already. With a flying herd, we had to buy in heifers and would normally use some of the money from OTMS cows to fund this, so the delay has caused cashflow problems and increased feed costs." &#42

The OTMS backlog is still causing difficulty in the south-west and Wales, says David Handley.

OTMS DELAYS

&#8226 Must increase capacity.

&#8226 Welfare implications.

&#8226 Cashflow problems.


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