Farmers asked to mind effluent ahead of ‘Gypsy Day’

Farmers are being asked to take care of effluent and ensure the safety of stock ahead of “Gypsy Day” tomorrow.

A number of farms will change hands at the end of the 2011/2012 season on 31 May, as sharemilkers take up new contracts.

Farmers will take to the road moving cattle up and down the country, and are being asked to be mindful of their animals effluent during their transport.

Federated Farmers sharemilking spokesperson Ciaran Tully says the clean movement of stock is paramount.

“It isn’t a good look to leave roads covered in effluent when it can be minimised by planning ahead,” he says.

““If farmers are moving stock on roads please make sure you have permits from your local council.  Have plenty of staff on hand and wear helmets and high visibility clothing if your team are operating quads and bikes.”

Tully also called on motorists to be patient if they themselves stuck behind a convoy of cattle trucks, and to avoid using their horns and spooking stock.

Top tips for Gypsy Day 2012

Selection of stock

• Cows must be fit and healthy
• Cows must able to stand evenly on all four legs
• Cows must be acting normally and if not, please call the vet
• Body conditions score must be at least 3.0.

Prepare stock for travel

• Precondition cows. This is important for those travelling long distanc.
• Stand all cows off green feed for a minimum of four hours and up to 12 hours to empty themselves
• Feed these cows straw, hay or baleage with free access to water.

Communication

• Book your stock transport in advance
• Ask for an estimated time of arrival of the truck to pick up the cows. This allows time to get the cows in and stand them off for the recommended minimum time (at least four hours).  This may mean getting them in the night before
• Check the transport operator has a plan for the journey, covering:

  • effluent disposal sites
  • adequate stops and rest periods (particularly for cows on long journeys)

• Talk to the farmer at the other end where your cows will be offloaded.  Tell him what time you expect the truck to arrive

At the new farm

• Give all cows free access to feed and water on arrival
• Inspect the cows regularly over the first day; put them in a paddock that is convenient for you to do this

Effluent

• Check the truck effluent tanks are empty before the journey
• In some instances, farmers can accept effluent from the stock truck.  Please see here for tips on how to management this. Download Fact sheet: Discharging effluent on-farm (doc, 32 KB) ».