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28 October 200220 Day Standstill Rule for LivestockEditorial© www.land-care.org.uk According to the Veterinary Record (October 12th) a debate took place at the previous week’s British Veterinary Association (BVA) conference which explored whether there remained a need for the standstill period introduced for all livestock species last year to combat the spread of FMD and, if so, whether the current 20 day standstill was an appropriate long-term solution. The first remarkable thing about this is that the BVA are debating this while many farmers are suffering hugely, especially in England & Wales. The Scots reached a sensible compromise before the main sheep sales started, whereby livestock coming on to a farm were required to be kept in isolation for 20 days. It did not involve putting the whole farm into standstill as far as livestock movements were concerned. Even this causes serious difficulties on farms that cannot readily arrange isolation facilities. The problems that mixed livestock farms south of the border have suffered and continue to suffer are horrendous. It is difficult to understand how they can run a farm at all that requires replacement breeding sheep, that needs to sell lambs and cast ewes and buy in tups, as well as manage a cattle enterprise that involves selling or buying store calves as they come off summer grazing, or selling finished cattle at the appropriate time. It must be a nightmare. Mr Kevin Taylor, a former Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) for MAFF, is reported as favouring a 20 day standstill for all livestock coming onto a farm. Presumably he was referring to a 20 day standstill for the whole farm. Frankly this is quite impractical and one is left wondering again how well in touch CVOs (past and present) are with practical farming. If the beasts are kept in isolation from other beasts on the farm (and from those on the neighbouring farms) for 20 days, what need is there to close down all movements on the whole farm with serious disruption? Fortunately Mr David Henderson, a consultant in sheep medicine is reported as taking a different view. The Sheep Veterinary Society and the National Sheep Association had suggested that a 5-day standstill would be appropriate for sheep. This, they argued would give time to protect sheep welfare, prevent multiple sales by a dealer, and should allow sufficient time for the origin of animals to be traced. Europe has no standstill arrangements. Thus while livestock farms were having to cope with the demands of the seasons, the veterinarians whom they pay were having their conference in some city, leisurely debating what they should recommend, and no doubt gaining required brownie points regarding further professional education. Did someone say that vets needed to improve their image?
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