Sheep farming management notes

Farm to farm movements: Sheep traded permanently in farm to farm movements need to have their movements recorded with the local Department Veterinary Office. The responsibility lies with the purchaser of the animals and is carried out by submitting the pink copy of the dispatch document to your local DVO. It must be completed within seven days of movement.

Recording requirements for temporary movements of sheep for short term grazing vary depending on farming activity and land layout on the farm offering the grazing.

Where there are no livestock on the farm, sheep can be moved to and from the temporary grazing without dispatch documents and without notifying the department of movements.

If sheep are moving to a farm where there are livestock, then the movement to and from the holding must be notified to the department. As there is no change in ownership, the onus is on the owner of the sheep to notify the department.

Notification of sheep moving back to the holding is straightforward by sending the white copy of the dispatch document clearly marked ‘return movement from temporary grazing’.

The exception to this rule is where the farm you are moving sheep to is fragmented and has separate parcels of land. In this case, sheep can be moved to a parcel of land (outside the main holding) without notifying the department, provided there are no livestock on any part of the land parcel that sheep are being moved to.

There is one final point to note. Where you want to claim credit under nitrates regulations for the organic fertilizer produced while sheep are temporarily grazing, you must submit a ‘Record 4 Form’ to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Nitrates Section, Johnstown Castle Estate, Wexford. NCIS rules apply for all movements in that sheep must be tagged before leaving the holding.

Raddling rams: A few questions have arisen at recent meetings as to the best way of raddling rams and preparing raddle. Oil or grease work well when mixed with raddle powder. The raddle will last for a period of three to four days in peak activity to a week towards the end of mating.

Stronger colours such as red or green will last longer and lighter colours such as yellow will need to be applied more frequently at the outset. Start mating with bright colours such as yellow and move to darker colours such as green, red, blue or black as the season progresses. Change the raddle colour at least every 14 days and weekly where you want to pinpoint lambing dates closer.

Where applying a harness, be careful not to apply too tight as to impede mating. Where using a new harness, it is wise to check after a few days to ensure the harness has not become loose as it gets worn in.

Fertilizer application dates: The closing date for applying fertiliser has been extended to 30 September. The closing date for spreading slurry is 15 October with 31 October the last day for spreading farmyard manure.