Design and training for safe cattle handling - farmers weekly

THE PAYBACK FROM INSTALLING A GOOD CATTLE-HANDLING SYSTEM STACKS UP WHEN YOU CONSIDER LABOUR AND WELFARE SAVINGS, ON TOP OF REDUCED STRESS AND A SAFER WORKING ENVIRONMENT Has it ever crossed

your mind what state you would be in if that close shave you had in a cattle pen had actually ended up being a serious incident? That shuddering moment when you became the one who was

cornered and desperate, instead of the 1t of prime beef you were trying to control. Such incidents are more common than you might think, according to Health and Safety‘s Tony Mitchell. And

it could be your profits as well as your life that you are putting at risk. “Since April 1996 there have been 36 farm businesses that have suffered the grief, suffering and cost that comes

with a death caused when handling livestock,” says Mr Mitchell. “A further 800 injuries have been reported, but studies suggest that 24% of livestock producers are injured every year.” More

often than not it comes down to inadequate handling facilities. So HSE has been gathering examples of producers who have made improvements with the aim of finding out the benefits that

accrue.   _Unobstructed crush exit encourages cattle to enter._ _Safe access to the rear of the crush allows speedy pregnancy diagnosis._ “The most important thing to note is that the

business benefits, such as reduced labour and better herd management, were significant. All producers we contacted wished they had made the changes sooner.” The safety benefits are harder to

quantify, he adds, but HSE did find that handlers experienced less stress and increased confidence on a farm with good handling facilities. So, what exactly does that entail? “It’s a

combination of factors. The most important is the design of the facilities themselves. You need to consider that there are others, such as vets, who will be using your facilities, and

shouldn’t have to risk life and limb when doing so.” To reduce the risk of injury to yourself, your employees as well as visitors, such as vets and statutory inspectors, when handling cattle

you should have: • Proper handling facilities, which are maintained and in good working order • A race and crush suitable for the animals to be handled • Trained and competent staff • A

culling policy for temperamental animals. You don’t have to install a new cattle-handling system – you may be looking to revamp what you already have. But it will pay to do some research

into design, notes Mr Mitchell. “The vet is a valuable source of advice as they see a good range of facilities, both good and bad.” Local workshops and discussion groups are also well worth

attending to share ideas and are an informal training resource. “Hybu Cig Cymru in Wales has recently held a series of successful cattle-handling workshops through the Farm Connect project,

and similar initiatives are going on throughout the country,” says Mr Mitchell. ------------------------- CASE STUDY 1 CHALK HILL FARM PARTNERS If John Smith (pictured) was ever badly

injured by one of his cows when he was sorting them first thing in the morning, he knows it would probably be teatime before anyone knew something was wrong. “Most of the time I’m on my own.

I need a system that lets me handle the cows safely by myself without the fear that I’ll get kicked or trampled.” Since he joined Chalk Hill Farm, on the Holkham Hall Estate, on the North

Norfolk coast, as livestock manager three years ago, Mr Smith has seen the herd increase dramatically from 70 to over 200 breeding cows. He has focused on South Devons crossed with Simmental

– more docile than the Salers cross Blue Greys he inherited. Back then the cattle-handling facilities were also “non-existent”. “It used to take two or three of us a day to do 30 cows, and

that relied on pulling labour off other jobs on the estate. We had a few makeshift gates and an old crush that put not just our safety at risk. There were a few close shaves when the vet was

here. A bull would jump the gate and take whatever tools we were using with him.” The new system was built last year at one end of the housing. As part of the £40,000 improvements, a grain

barn was converted to housing livestock. There are flexible pens, a forcing area and then a 180° curved race which leads to a weighing area and on to the crush. “The curvature works well –

they think they’re going back the way they came in. All they can see is the cow in front of them so they tend to stay calm.” This means an impressive rise in productivity – 20 cows can be

wormed in a single go while they line up in the forcing area. The vet can scan up to 110 cows in an hour and a half. “We get a cow through as quick as a vet can do them – you don’t want to

pay him to hang around.” Mr Smith’s herd management has improved too. “We monitor the cows more. The weigher before the crush helps. But the time saving is a huge help – it means more time

to do other jobs and less being overlooked these days.” His tip for others is to get the position right. “You can spend a fortune on a new system, but you don’t want to waste time getting

your cows in and out of it. It’s also important to look around at what’s available. But it’s worth making the investment – you’d be amazed at the difference it makes to your system.”

------------------------- CASE STUDY 2 IKEN HALL FARMS Natasha Mann can’t always rely on the help she needs to sort her cattle. The 100 Lincoln Red cows and followers graze the marshes at

Woodbridge, Suffolk, during summer, then move to upland sandy fields near the home farm in winter. She runs the organic beef enterprise with her husband, Richard, alongside the 480ha

(1200-acre) arable and vegetable business. “At certain times of the year it’s OK. But when the potatoes get busy, everyone disappears, and I’m left to manage the cattle by myself.” This

meant a system was needed that allowed Ms Mann to gather the cattle safely and easily on her own. With the herd outside all year round and at two locations, finding a cost-effective solution

was going to be a challenge. “But we couldn’t continue as we were – we borrowed a mobile crush and put up gates reinforced with trailers. This didn’t stop the bullocks jumping out. We were

wasting time and it was quite unsafe for all involved.” The solution was a mobile system (left) based on fixed, concrete posts at both sites. This is located so that the natural landscape –

hedges and ditches – funnel cattle towards the penned area where a curved stock-holding pen with solid sides and cattle race end in the self-contained, mobile crush. “They move better round

a curve and go naturally towards the light – it does work really well.” It’s a system Ms Mann can work on her own, while set up and dismantling twice a year takes two people about eight

hours. But the main benefit is a high standard of welfare. “We sell 90% of our beef locally, and people love to see the cattle on the marshes, so our system is very much on show. It’s

important we can demonstrate they are well managed and well cared for.” The spin-off benefits include having a pen in the field to segregate problem calvers and reluctant mothers. As well as

fully converting to organic, the grazing land is in Higher Level Stewardship, which meant 60% of the £22,000 cost was reimbursed through capital grants. “The mobile system works really well

– you just have to be careful to get the posts in exactly the right place. You also have to think carefully about location. You will never herd cows into a pen placed in the middle of a

field, but then you need to allow room around the pen to manoeuvre vehicles for setting up and dismantling.” ------------------------- ACADEMY ANSWERS Details on how to improve your

livestock handling system can be found in our FW Academy. _Safety 3: Livestock handling_ has specific advice on design details that will bring you a safer, more effective system. Then test

your knowledge with our online test. ------------------------- As part of the current “Make the Promise” campaign, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has set up a stakeholder working

group to look at ways of encouraging farmers to improve cattle handling systems. The first tasks of the group were to collate a list of useful references and gather case studies of real farm

businesses that have made changes to their cattle handling systems so their experiences can be shared more widely. Full details of these can be found on the HSE website.