Topical health theme promises sheep farmers food for thought at NSA event
20th January 2017
A topical theme of health will be running throughout new-look NSA Central Region Early Gathering, being held on Thursday 26th January, 10am-4.30pm at Bakewell Agricultural Centre, Derbyshire. An interesting and exciting line up of speakers will be encouraging visitors to get involved at every opportunity, fuelling the potential for some fantastic discussions and debates.
Katy Cropper, renowned sheepdog expert from Cumbria, will be heading up an interactive demonstration session offering visitors tips to get the most from their farm dogs. She says: “Farmers don’t have all the time in the world to train their dogs. I want to show people how to look after and get the most out of them without treating them like a machine. Questions are encouraged, so don’t be shy.”
A thought provoking line-up of seminar topics will aim to encourage sheep farmers to consider and discuss several topics relating health issues in the industry.
Ellen Helliwell, an NSA Next Generation Ambassador originally from Derbyshire and currently working in Cumbria, will join a session focussing on securing the future health of the sheep sector. She and two other young people will explore the different routes into a career in the sheep sector. Ellen says: “I’ve worked with sheep my whole life, beginning on my parent’s farm in Edale, Hope Valley, Derbyshire, to my most recent role as shepherd on a farm in Cumbria. Working as an employed shepherd can present its challenges, and being prepared to compromise with others when it comes to decision-making is a big part of it. I’m thankful for the great opportunities it’s given me though, and am continuing to work towards my goal of having my own farm tenancy one day.”
Visitors can also look forward to a session on keeping your farm records healthy, looking at the balance between using EID for regulatory reasons and making the most of data for management purposes. Advice on avoiding common cross compliance issues will come from Ian Cairns of the Farming Advice Service. He says: “Nobody sets out with the intention of breaching cross compliance requirements, but with RPA reporting a similar handful of issues arising from inspections, it is vital this information is fed back to farmers before they get an inspection.
“The move from the five-mile to a new 10-mile rule in England also presents significant changes to how individuals are required to report and record movements. The potential effect on businesses varies hugely, so this session will aim to provide people with information and answer questions on how it could affect them going forward.”
Find a full programme for the day, with details of seminars, workshops and demonstrations, at www.nationalsheep.org.uk/earlygathering. Many of the sessions will be repeated during the day to allow visitors to get involved as much as they want to, as well as spending time with the selection of trade stands being set up in the market concourse.
