The advantages of Quarantine Units during the summer show season
Emily Jones of Garnwen Farm in West Wales is the fourth generation of her family to farm their land on the uplands of Ceredigion. One element of farming that she particularly enjoys is attending agricultural shows, showcasing the quality of her livestock to the public. With that comes the need to understand and follow the rules on moving animals.
Exemption to the Six-Day Stand Still (6DSS) rule
Emily decided to register a Quarantine Unit (QU) with Welsh Lamb & Beef Producers (WLBP). This enables her to exhibit at various shows without the need to conform to movement restrictions – known as the 6DSS - which could otherwise affect the day-to-day management of the farm. The introduction of a QU also improves biosecurity, reducing the risk of spreading disease.
QUs provide livestock keepers with an exemption to the 6DSS arrangements for sheep, goats, and cattle. Movements into a QU will not trigger a 6DSS on the main holding, allowing animals to be moved off the main holding while incoming animals observe the 6DSS requirements in a QU. Livestock keepers can choose between using approved QUs to manage the movements of cattle, sheep and goats, or adhering to the 6DSS on their whole holding.
Emily said: “We decided as a family that a quarantine unit would be incredibly beneficial to us; not only does it help and allow us to go to as many shows as possible, but it also allows the farm and the farm business to carry on as normal, allowing us to sell breeding stock, store and fat lambs throughout the year.
“We show three breeds which predominantly consist of Pedigree Dorset Downs, and Pedigree North Country Cheviots - both the Hill and Park types. We attend a range of shows, from the Royal Welsh Show to various county shows such as Aberystwyth, Cardigan, St Clears and Fishguard. We also make sure we attend local shows, such as Talybont, Pontrhydfendigaid and our most local show in Llangeitho.
“Once the animals have been selected for showing, we record their tag numbers and then move them into the quarantine unit. We use our EIDCymru online account to report the movement off the farm and into the unit so that they are good to go for the early shows which start in May.”
Reporting within 24 hours – using an EIDCymru online account
Emily reports sheep movements using the business’ EIDCymru online account. Not only does an EIDCymru online account allow Emily to quickly and easily comply with the QU reporting requirement, but she can also check and verify all recorded movements, as well as complete the annual inventory in December each year.
She said: “I have always tried to use best practice when it comes to the movement licences. I find it is much easier to report the movements online as soon as we come home from the shows so I can ensure a smooth transition throughout the showing season.
“As I have been using the EIDCymru portal for a while now, I find the process straightforward and easy to use. It strengthens good teamwork between the traditional ways - such as filling in the farm’s flock book, which is predominantly used by Dad, and bringing in modern technology via the EIDCymru website, which I use regularly.
“It was a process we found daunting to start with, because of lack of understanding with technology and logins, but this has been by far one of the best decisions we have ever made. My favourite part of the EIDCymru website is the option to return movements - this feature is an absolute game changer, especially when it saves inputting tag numbers all over again!
“I would recommend a quarantine unit to farmers and smallholders as this is an incredibly useful tool that allows showing and farming to go hand-in-hand.”
For more information on QUs, go to: https://www.qwfc.co.uk
To register for an EIDCymru online account, visit eidcymru.org or call 01970 636959.
