Please note, the following updates come directly from Defra, and are not written by Land App.
This month, Defra have made the following announcements:
Bird registration now mandatory in England & Wales
Bird registration helps to mitigate and manage the spread of exotic disease, such as avian influenza, and keep birds safe. Registration with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is now a legal requirement in England & Wales for those with any number of birds.
The APHA online registration portal is currently offline but will return soon. In the meantime, keepers in England and Wales can continue to register by completing the relevant form (depending on if you keep more than 50 or less than 50 birds) and returning by email or post.
Bird keepers in Scotland must register their birds on the Scottish Kept Bird Register (SKBR) by 1 December 2024.
Government provides certainty to horticulture and poultry businesses
On Monday 21 October, a package of measures to provide certainty and stability to farmers and growers in the UK’s horticulture, poultry and sheep sectors has been announced by Defra.
Underlining the government’s commitment to the horticultural and poultry sectors, the Seasonal Worker visa route has been confirmed for 2025, with a total of 43,000 Seasonal Worker visas available for horticulture and 2,000 for poultry next year.
As well as confirming visa numbers for 2025, Defra has also published the 2023 Seasonal Worker’s Survey report as part of Defra’s commitment to monitoring the welfare of the seasonal migrant workers who help bring home the horticulture harvest each year. The survey showed that the vast majority of respondents (91.0%) reported a positive experience from their time in the UK and 95% expressed a desire to return.
Alongside this, the government is taking action to deliver fairness in the supply chain for sheep farmers by ensuring producers receive a fair price for their livestock through legislation to mandate sheep carcase classification and price reporting.
The government also announced measures on egg and poultry labelling to help farmers deal with the impact of future avian influenza outbreaks. The changes will mean that free-range eggs can continue to be labelled as such throughout mandatory housing measures.
A consultation on introducing similar measures for the labelling of free-range poultry is also being launched.
For more information, you can read the full announcement on GOV.UK.
Environment Agency agriculture regulation guide booklet: Harvesting Success
The Environment Agency has launched a new regulatory guide for farmers, covering all aspects of agriculture regulations and good practice for water quality. Called Harvesting Success, the guide is available free of charge. The guide is a first in bringing together all the regulations and guidance for Farming Rules for Water, the Silage, Slurry and Fuel Oil Regulations and Nitrate Vulnerable Zones in England in one place. It provides a quick and easy to use point of reference and also contains a wealth of information on good agricultural practice that will help all farmers and land managers be compliant.
You can order your copy now through the Environment Agency’s national customer contact centre by email or telephone:
Email: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk
Tel. 03708 506 506
The Farming Advice Service is also hosting a digital version of the booklet on their website.
Make your voice heard: Defra seeking views from cattle farmers about bovine TB compensation
Defra has launched a new survey to learn more from cattle farmers in England about their experience and views around bovine TB compensation.
The questionnaire is part of a research study conducted by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and RSK-ADAS. This study seeks to understand the types of action that farmers are taking to reduce the risk of herd breakdowns. This is part of ongoing work to help improve the management of bovine TB in England and boost disease eradication.
This is a unique opportunity to help Government better understand the views of cattle farmers facing the challenges of bovine TB. The information shared by those who complete the survey will help to inform any future review and development of TB compensation.
Participation in this survey is voluntary, and you will not be asked any personal information which can identify you. You can also withdraw from the survey at any point without having to give a reason, and your information will not be retained.
Follow the link to find out more information and complete the survey.
Reduce African swine fever risk through safe disposal of food waste
As we enter Autumn and approach the festive season, livestock keepers are reminded that it is illegal to feed catering waste of any description or domestic food waste to farm animals in the UK, including pigs kept as pets, due to the risk of disease outbreaks. This includes things like Halloween pumpkins.
Some of the outbreaks of African swine fever in Europe have been attributed to wild boar or domestic pigs consuming contaminated pork or pork products. Viruses such as foot and mouth disease could also be introduced to the UK through food products. This includes food from vegetarian kitchens, as there is still a risk of cross contamination from products of animal origin such as milk.
There has never been a case of African swine fever in the UK and it does not affect humans, but it is potentially fatal to pigs. If the disease were to reach the UK, it could have a devastating effect on the domestic pig industry and pork exports.
Strict hygiene measures are essential in preventing disease – people should not take meat or meat products into areas where pigs are kept and should only eat food in designated areas such as staff rooms or the farm kitchen. Pig keepers, farm staff and anyone in contact with pigs should wash their hands before and after eating or preparing food.
Read more information about how to prevent African swine fever and reduce disease risks from food waste.
Time for bird keepers to prepare: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) risk levels increased
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N5 has been detected in a number of wild birds in Great Britain this autumn, including the first reported HPAI-related wild bird mass mortality of the season.
The risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 in wild birds in Great Britain has increased from LOW (event is rare but does occur) to MEDIUM (event occurs regularly). The risk of poultry exposure to HPAI H5 in GB remains assessed as LOW where there is suboptimal or poor biosecurity but VERY LOW where good biosecurity is consistently applied at all times.
The finding of HPAI H5N5 follows previous findings in GB, and recent detections of both HPAI H5N5 and HPAI H5N1 in continental Europe. Risk levels are regularly reviewed and may increase further this winter,
Whilst the UK does not currently have outbreaks of HPAI in poultry or other captive birds and the UK has World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) self-declared freedom from HPAI, keepers must remain vigilant and practice rigorous biosecurity to maintain this status and protect the health and welfare of their birds. Find advice on how to protect your birds in Defra’s biosecurity guidance.
All bird keepers must register their poultry and other captive birds (with the exception of certain psittacines and passerines), even if only kept as pets. Registered keepers will receive regular updates and guidance to help protect their birds from avian influenza. In addition, anyone can subscribe to APHA’s free animal disease alerts service for the latest information regardless of whether they keep birds.
Further information on the latest situation and guidance can be found at gov.uk/birdflu
Check your current status: Restriction Zone extended in England after further Bluetongue virus (BTV-3) cases confirmed
As the number of bluetongue (BTV-3) cases has risen in England and northern Europe, Defra has taken action to extend the Restriction Zone (RZ) and mitigate the spread of the disease. Livestock keepers should check if you are located in a disease control zone using APHA’s interactive bluetongue zone map.
All keepers of susceptible animals (cattle, sheep, goats, deer and other ruminants and camelids including llamas and alpacas) in the restricted zones will need to follow strict rules on animal and germinal product movements.
These restrictions mean that susceptible animals cannot be moved out of the zone without a specific licence. A general licence to move animals to designated abattoirs is also available. Movements within a zone are also permitted.
On 4 September, Defra announced that the Secretary of State has permitted the use of 3 unauthorised bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) vaccines within the United Kingdom. These vaccines cannot be used without an appropriate licence being in place and will likely only reduce clinical signs – they will not provide immunity from the disease.
This means vaccinated animals will not be exempt from any government disease management controls. Animal keepers will need to work closely with their veterinarians to make a decision on use.
Follow the link for more information on BTV-3 vaccines, zones and the latest situation.
