There is firm interest this year in purchasing store lambs and temporary grazing agreements. The latest spike is stemming from heavy rainfall over the weekend and further heavy rainfall forecast next week, cutting short the cattle grazing season for many and leaving areas of the farm with heavy covers of grass. This is mainly occurring in regions that have been hit hardest for much of the year with the west and northern half of the country particularly affected.

There is also growing interest from tillage farmers who have sown catch crops. The late sowing dates and resultant lower volume of forage present may limit the feasibility of grazing for some this autumn/winter but this is an area where there is likely to be a continuous rise in interest.

Where an opportunity did arise to get crops in early, growers are keen to get crops grazed and nutrients recycled at some stage over the winter to facilitate easier seed bed preparation next spring. Crops sown under GLAS or greening cannot be grazed until after 1 December. Many growers prefer a system where they can get animals in to graze the crop without having to manage another enterprise. For others, it is a way of dipping their toes in the water and getting back into sheep with some reports in the southeast in particular of growers introducing grass into the rotation. Sheep present a low capital cost of entry but a barrier in many situations is investment in fencing, although temporary facilities, as highlighted across this page, may present an opportunity to set up a section of the farm for grazing at a lower cost.

Rules and regulations

No matter which route is chosen, there are rules that must be adhered to in order to stay on the right side of Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) regulations.

The first scenario is where a farmer has a herd number and wants to purchase sheep but has not previously kept sheep. In this situation, contact must be made with the District/Regional Veterinary Office who will send out an activation form. When this form is signed and returned, you will be cleared to purchase sheep and will also receive a flock register for recording movements and a dispatch booklet which you will need for trading.

The other option is where sheep are taken in on a temporary grazing agreement. It is important to note at this point that lands receiving payment under the areas of natural constraint (ANC) scheme cannot be rented out in a short-term rental agreement. Doing so will relinquish control of farming the land, which is not allowed under the terms and conditions of the scheme.

The DAFM has stated that there is no problem with farmers taking in sheep to graze lands as the applicant remains in control of the land. The most common practical agreements are where a cost per day or week is agreed for the farmer to take animals onto his holding. Adhering to DAFM regulations for such movements is not straightforward as there are a number of factors that influence what way movements must be officially recorded, or if they need official recording at all. These are laid out in the temporary grazing regulations section.

Temporary grazing recording protocols

  • Movement to tillage land or a holding where there are no livestock: This is the most straightforward scenario. Sheep can be moved to and from the temporary grazing without a requirement to complete a dispatch document and notify the DAFM. It is advisable for the owner of the animals to keep his own record of the tag numbers of sheep temporarily moving.
  • Movement to mixed farms on which there are livestock: This is a little more complex. If there are any livestock on the temporary holding (even if housed separately), then the movement to and from the temporary holding must be notified to the DAFM. Note the rules on who sends the pink copy of the dispatch document to the local DVO differs from a permanent movement – as there is no change of ownership the responsibility for notifying these movements is with the owner of the sheep.

    • Notification of the movement back to the holding of origin can be made by the owner sending the white copy of the same dispatch document set to the local office and clearly marking ‘‘Return Movement from Temporary Grazing’’. Also, if the number of sheep being returned to the original holding is less than the number sent on the pink copy of the document, this should also be indicated.

  • Movements to mixed farms with fragmented lands: The unique make-up of Irish farms means many consist of a number of individual or fragmented land parcels outside the main holding, which are all registered under the one herd number. The main block of land is generally recorded by the DAFM where the farmyard is located. There could, however, be numerous other parcels located anywhere from walking distance to 10 or 20 miles away, for example. In this situation, the individual parcels are regarded similar to that mentioned under the first option and, in such a scenario, sheep can be temporarily moved here without the need for notifying the DAFM provided there are no animals on any part of the land that sheep are moving to.
  • Movement from temporary grazing direct to mart/factory/abattoir/knackery: Options one to three above cover the initial movement to grazing. In all cases, where sheep are moving from the temporary holding directly to a mart/factory/abattoir or knackery, then normal national sheep identification system (NSIS) rules apply. The owner must complete a new dispatch document to accompany the sheep and must also record the movement in the flock register. There is no need to notify the DAFM separately as this will automatically be done in these locations.

    • Tagging and recordkeeping

    NSIS rules apply for all sheep leaving the holding for temporary grazing. That is, sheep must be tagged by nine months of age or on leaving the holding, whichever comes first. Where a movement document is being completed and animals are being entered with tag numbers from different holdings of origin, the full 12-digit tag number must be recorded. As is the case with all records, the flock owner must keep a copy of the relevant dispatch document for a period of at least three years.

    Nitrates credit

    This is rare but in some cases flockowners may wish to apply to have the volume of organic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) produced while sheep are temporarily grazing on a different holding reduced from the farm’s total N and P production figure. Where there are sheep or cattle on the holding, this will be recorded through the dispatch document submitted to the local DVO. However, where there are no sheep or cattle on the receiving holding meaning DAFM does not need to be notified, credit for organic fertiliser produced can be obtained by submitting the form ‘‘Record 4: Notification of Temporary Movement of Cattle or Sheep (other than cattle moved under AIM)’’ to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Nitrates Section, Johnstown Castle Estate, Wexford, Y35 PN52, on or before 31 December 2016 (form can be found here) .

    This form details the number of livestock being moved, their tag numbers and LPIS number details of the land parcels being moved on to.

    Read more

    Temporary fencing – the options available