Question 1

Can any site be grazed?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Within reason. Each site is assessed for suitability. The livestock are our main concern and animal welfare is our top priority. All sites must allow us to operate within the Animal Welfare Act 2005. However, provided the site is safe for the livestock and they can easily be taken on and off when required, we will always try to graze the site for you.

Question 2

Does my site need permanent fencing?

Accepted Answer

Ideally yes, but it's not mandatory. We can contain livestock with electric fencing in places where there aren’t permanent boundaries. However, we will need to assess the risk if livestock were to break out from the electric fencing and decide whether it is practicable to electric fence too. Usually, if this is likely to be a regular annual agreement, we would encourage installation of permanent fencing in the long term. Hanley Contracting will be able to give you a fair and accurate estimate.

Question 3

What if the site doesn’t have water?

Accepted Answer

Water can be brought in using a Bowser, however depending on accessibility and the frequency the bowser needs to be refilled will affect whether a site can be grazed without permanent fencing.

Question 4

Where are you based and will you graze anywhere in the South West?

Accepted Answer

The main holding is based in Netheravon, Salisbury. So will graze up to anywhere an hour away. However, the further away the site is, the harder it is to check and care for our livestock if there is a problem. Normally, if the site is far away, we may need to work with the landowner to agree on a stock checking rota, to reduce the number of times per week livestock are checked by us personally. If the site is more than one hour away, talk to us, we may still be able to help.

Question 5

If you don’t have a farm, where do your sheep come from?

Accepted Answer

We work with local farms and buy livestock for specific sites. Sometimes we move them from different sites depending on the circumstances.

Question 6

How can you ensure the livestock you buy in are healthy and safe?

Accepted Answer

We try to use the same suppliers, so we build in the trust and confidence in the stock we buy in. We also ask for the animals’ vaccination history and also check the stock over thoroughly before buying. If the sheep do need vaccinations, we will administer that before they come onto site.

Question 7

What if there is an emergency or an animal is sick or injured?

Accepted Answer

We are contactable 24 hours a day and we have a team of experienced stock people who we can call on if required. We are also registered with a farm vet who we can call on if required. We always risk assess sites before we agree to graze them, so we calculate the risk to the stock and what control procedures we have on-site if something goes wrong.

Question 8

What livestock do you graze?

Accepted Answer

Mainly sheep as they are easy to transport, don’t require as much infrastructure and don’t require pre-movement and post-movement tests like cattle do.We can graze cattle, but there would need to be a sufficient grazing agreement in place and decent infrastructure so cattle can be handled safely.

Question 9

Are there any legal elements to bringing livestock onto site?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Sheep need to be legally moved onto a site through the Livestock Information Service (LIS) so all sheep are legally registered, and their movements are tracked. Each site needs to have a Temporary Land Association (TLA) or Temporary County Parish Holding Number (tCPH) depending on if the site is under or over 10 miles from the main holding. We sort this all out for you, so everything is above board. Cattle also need to have movements recorded through the British Cattle Movement Service and also will need to have pre-movement and post movements tests for Tb. They also require either TLAs or tCPH too.

Frequently asked questions