SCHOOL EDITION 22 MARCH 2023 - Flipbook - Page 14
14
NEWS
FARMWEEK
JANUARY 28 2021
Livestock rustlers continue despite the pandemic
N
EW gures released by
leading rural insurer NFU
Mutual reveal that farm
animals worth an estimated
£2.3m were stolen from UK farms
last year, making rustling one
of the most costly crimes for
British farmers after vehicle and
machinery theft.
Although the pandemic saw the
cost of rustling in the UK decrease
by a quarter, in the South West
region the cost of animals stolen
rose by over a third to an estimated
£320,000.
In the Midlands a sharp fall of
44 per cent in 2020 followed the
successful prosecution of livestock
thieves who horried farmers and
the public in 2019 by barbarically
slaughtering large numbers of
sheep in elds in Northamptonshire
and leaving their remains behind.
Rebecca Davidson, Rural
Affairs Specialist at NFU Mutual,
said: “Last year’s overall fall is
encouraging news to an industry
which has worked hard through the
pandemic to keep the nation fed.
“Tougher police enforcement
PREVENTING RUSTLING
Modern livestock thieves scout the countryside for targets and
come equipped to steal with large vehicles. Protecting ocks
requires increasingly sophisticated measures. To deter livestock
thieves, NFU Mutual advises farmers to:
n Ensure stock is clearly marked and records are up to date;
n When possible graze livestock in elds away from roads;
n Check stock regularly – and vary times of feeding/check ups;
n Consider a high-tech marking system such as TecTracer which
puts thousands of coded microdot markers into a sheep’s eece;
n Join a Farm or Rural Watch scheme to share information about
rural crime in your area;
n Ask neighbours to report any suspicious sightings to the
police, or to give information 100 per cent anonymously to the
Crimestoppers Hotline 0800 555 111;
n Dial 999 immediately if an incident is taking place – do not
approach criminals.
certainly seems to have taken effect
and the coronavirus restrictions
may have also deterred criminals
who would have been easier to
detect during lockdown.
“However, the latest gures from
NFU Mutual’s claims are not a
reason for complacency and we
are deeply concerned this crime
continues – even at a time of crisis.
Modern rustling is a large-scale,
organised crime causing suffering
to animals, adding nancial
pressures to farmers and putting
public health at risk.
“We are worried that when
movement restrictions ease there
could be a resurgence as thieves
target the countryside again.
We are urging farmers to remain
vigilant and check stock regularly.”
Rustling has always been an
aspect of farming but 10 years
ago NFU Mutual would rarely see
claims of more than a dozen sheep
taken at a time. The insurer now
regularly receives reports of 30 to
100 sheep being taken in a single
raid.
Rebecca added: “As well as
causing untold suffering to ewes,
which may be in lamb when they
are stolen, rustling is causing high
levels of anxiety for farmers who
have built up their ocks over
many years.”
NFU Mutual has welcomed the
successful prosecution and jailing
of criminals responsible for horric
killings and butchery of sheep in
elds, which shocked the nation in
2019.
In November 2020, a further joint
operation between Warwickshire
and Northamptonshire police
resulted in the conviction of a man
for the theft and slaughter of sheep
in Rugby.
More recently, in January this
year a 20-year-old man and a
16-year-old boy were sentenced in
connection with the theft of a lamb
in South Warwickshire.
To avoid buying unsafe stolen
meat which has been slaughtered
illegally, NFU Mutual advises
members of the public not to buy
meat from unusual sources and to
look for the Red Tractor logo.
NFU Mutual is involved in a
number of schemes with police
forces around the UK which not
only share valuable intelligence but
also support the training of ofcers
to work more closely with farmers
and identify livestock theft.
The insurer has also supported
secure shelters for stolen farm
animals so they can be cared for
while police investigations take
place.
n Advice about rural crime trends
and protecting farms and rural
property is available from NFU
Mutual’s 2020 Rural Crime Report:
www.nfumutual.co.uk/farming/
ruralcrime
Calling all budding bakers!
N
ORTHERN Ireland leading cancer charity
Action Cancer is calling on supporters to
enter its online ‘Bake Off’ competition to
mark World Cancer Day on February 4.
The charity is asking everyone to break
out the butter, our and whisks and bake their
own World Cancer Day themed cakes or buns and
submit via Action Cancer’s Facebook page. Two
lucky bakers will be in with a chance of winning
a £50 voucher for SuperValu or Centra, kindly
provided by the local retail brands.
World Cancer Day is a global initiative led by the
Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). It
was created in 2000 and has since grown into a
day for individuals and organisations around the
world to unite against cancer.
Action Cancer is a local charity that must
raise £4m each year in order to deliver its range
of cancer prevention, detection and support
services. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the
charity has adapted its services so that these
can be delivered safely face-to-face with the use
of PPE and stringent sanitising measures (in line
with government guidelines).
Having closed its doors in March 2020 due to
the pandemic, Action Cancer resumed its breast
cancer screening programme in mid-August for
women aged 40-49 and over 70 (outside of NHS
screening age range) and has since screened over
2,000 women.
Therapeutic Services and Health Promotion
departments are also operational again with the
staff team moving many services, which were
previously delivered face-to-face, to online or
over the phone delivery, ensuring as many people
as possible are still able to avail of Action Cancer
services.
None of this would be possible without the
support received from the general public and
from relationships with the local business
community.
SuperValu and Centra have been partnering
with Action Cancer since 2001 and during that
time have raised over £3 million. Desi Derby,
Marketing Director for SuperValu and Centra, is
pleased to lend their support:
“Our partnership with Action Cancer is one
that we are very proud of and we are delighted
to support them to raise awareness for World
Cancer Day.
“Our retailers and colleagues are passionate
about the work of Action Cancer and work
tirelessly to raise money to help support the
important services that the charity provides
right across Northern Ireland.”
To enter the competition, take a photo of your
fabulous baked creations and tag Action Cancer’s
Facebook page. The winners will be announced at
2pm on Thursday, February 4.
n If you would like to make a donation to Action
Cancer for World Cancer Day you can do so on
the charity’s Facebook page or by visiting www.
justgiving.com/campaign/World-Cancer-DayBake-Off
Significant problems for farm
animal movements from GB
U
LSTER Unionist spokesperson on
Agriculture, Environment & Rural
Affairs Rosemary Barton MLA,
has said that without direct government
intervention there are serious difculties
for the movement of cattle and sheep
from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Mrs Barton said: “Following
representation that I made to the NI Chief
Veterinary Ofcer Robert Huey, he has
replied to conrm that breeding cattle
or sheep cannot move from mainland
UK to NI without meeting a number of
stringent criteria, including for sheep the
animals must either come from a Scrapie
Monitored ock or have Genotype ARR/
ARR and for cattle and sheep they must
be exported only from the holding on
which they have been resident or from an
Export Assembly Centre (no movement
through a market allowed after leaving
ock/herd).
“This will have a signicant impact on
sheep and cattle breeders who purchased
animals at the specialist sales in Scotland
or England.
“The pedigree breeders who brought
their prized animals to these same
specialist sales from Northern Ireland
to sell to a wider market in GB will have
signicant problems as they will not have
the option of not selling them at that sale
and returning them back to Northern
Ireland.
“These new restrictions caused by
the Protocol will have a very damaging
impact on those specialist cattle and
sheep breeders that carried out a lot of
trade with their counterparts in Great
Britain. I have again written to the
Chief Veterinary Ofcer to seek further
clarication and also to the DAERA and
Defra Ministers to nd an urgent solution
to this difculty.”
ABOVE: Nick Mulholland from Centra Moira and Claire Rowan from SuperValu Moira
join Lucy McCusker from Action Cancer to help launch the charity’s online ‘Bake Off’.
New Teagasc online slurry
spreader calibration calculator
A
LARGE number of farmers will be using
Low Emission Slurry Spreading equipment
(LESSE) such as a dribble bar or trailing
shoe for the rst time this season in place of the
traditional splash plate. When moving over to
a new method of application it is important to
ensure that you are applying the slurry evenly
and at the right rate and, of course, at the
correct time.
To assist farmers and agricultural contractors,
Teagasc has created an online calibration
calculator which will work with all types of
slurry tankers. A key factor that has to be
considered is getting the application rate
right. In a lot of cases the forward speed of the
tractor will need to be increased considerably
in order to maintain the same application rate
as the splash plate. However, getting the correct
forward speed can be a bit of a guessing game.
To make the task of calibration easier, Teagasc
has created an online calibration calculator.
The calculator is easy to use and will work on
your mobile phone. You simply need to adjust a
number of sliders on the calculator to input your
spreading details and the calculator will give
you the forward speed required.
Francis Quigley, Teagasc Farm Machinery
Specialist, said: “To use the calculator you will
need to time how long it takes to empty the rst
load of slurry. Once you have this information
then you can input other information such as
the tank size, the working width and the desired
application rate.
“Once you have set the sliders to match your
spreading details then you can read off the
forward speed needed. Simply set your forward
speed to match and you are all good to go.”
n The Teagasc Online Slurry Spreader
Calibration Calculator can be found on the
Teagasc website at www.teagasc.ie/ruraleconomy/farm-management/farm-machinery/
machinery-calibration/slurry-calibration-tool/