Monday 16 December 2013

Our Meat, Our Customers


It has been thoroughly enjoyable delivering our pork to our customers this past week. It is such a pleasure to be able to see the regard they have for local produce, it makes the effort worthwhile. I certainly would not have received the type of feedback I was offered had I simply sold the pigs in a market.

Even better, it is wonderful when you hear people talk of their experience eating our pork. This is the type of dialogue I hope I can develop while improving my stock rearing and meat marketing skills. In addition I am keen to understand the best form of packaging and presentation should we decide to send the pork further afield. One especially attractive solution utilises British wool, wrapped in plastic, together with ice to keep the meat cool.

I spent my first visit to the Fox and Hounds in Ainthorpe listening to Ian Cairns of SAC Consulting discuss rush management. Rushes thrive on poor, wet soils therefore they are well suited to the Moors!

That suitability means they can quickly overtake the more valuable pasture grasses and once established they are difficult to remove. Cattle and sheep can’t help, rushes are bitter and are left behind unless stock are left with nothing else to eat. I was told what I thought was an old wives tale, that cutting the rushes seven times a year would hamper their growth. As it turns out the consultants believe that six times is enough!

We have drained some of our soils, but that action alone has not reduced rush growth. It will however, especially as the weather has been so dry, allow some cutting before the end of the year.

The sheep breeding cycle began again this week when the tup was introduced to the flock. I plan to lamb outside so hopefully the weather will be kind when our new borns are due in May next year.

On a sad note it was Steve Wilson of Cote Hill’s funeral back on the 11th December. I had seen Steve to wave to many times. On the one occasion we did spend longer talking I caused trouble for his dad! I was supposed to be helping two of our older neighbours and Dennis, Steve’s dad, load the Farndale Show tent into a trailer. Instead Dennis pointed me toward the milking parlour and I was off like a shot! It was great to see Steve working with the cows, it is a wonder to watch them hop up and wait for the clusters to be attached. Outside there was a good deal of mumbling aimed toward Dennis as the senior squad performed the heavy lifting. RIP Steve.


Originally written and published in the Esk Valley News, January 2014 issue.

Saturday 7 December 2013

Why'd That Sheep Die?

'Do you want to come to a sheep autopsy'?

It's not a question I get asked everyday. But sheep do have a reputation for dying for no reason whatsoever. That's not a view I subscribe to, there's obviously a reason behind every loss, so learning more is important for the health of our flock.

Post Mortem Evidence Collection as an Aid to Veterinary Diagnosis of Sheep Diseases. That was the snappy title given to the six hour course run by a veterinary surgeon. We began with a powerpoint presentation that set out the basics of sheep anatomy and why an autopsy performed on farm is worthwhile.

Farmers look at their stock everyday, and you can notice characteristics and behaviours that point toward ill health. We were advised to consider the following list:

1. Weight loss
2. Respiratory signs
3. Scour (farm/vet language for diarrhoea)
4. Abortion
5. Neurological
6. Skin / Wool
7. Lameness
8. Sudden death!

Clearly the latter sign would tell you something is definitely wrong! But what..? In the lead up to death had the animal displayed any of the other signs? Observation at every stage is important, but eventually the only way to really tell what happened is to look inside. In all cases the autopsy had to be conducted within 24 hours of death.

Allowing farmers to conduct their own investigations isn't as precise as the service offered by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (the VLA - our nearest is in Thirsk), but it does offer an instant answer for diseases with specific pathology e.g. fluke (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trematoda). That rapid determination then allows for wider flock treatment decisions.

As well as speed another consideration is cost, a VLA examination is £160 including carcass disposal. Clearly a matter requiring some thought balanced against the risk of potentially not discovering the cause of death. In my case I could see myself examining one or two sheep to find the cause of death but if I failed I would be looking toward our vet and the VLA for professional help, especially if losses were mounting.

We were given a full round up of the kit required, including the sense behind vets wearing a pair of long gloves and another short pair over the top for better feel. The last item on the list was a digital camera.

These pictures are not taken to shock, but rather as an important personal aide memoire. In addition as clearly as I could describe the colour of specific internal organs that information can provide clues to aid diagnosis.

First things first, a quick check of the teeth. This ewe was six years old, so it would be normal for her to be missing teeth. The teeth you can't easily see (the mouth can't be opened wide enough) are the molars. In bad condition the sheep would not be able to cud. In this case she appeared to be ok for her age.

The next task was to cut the skin and fleece away with a sharp knife. In doing so we were reminded to only use sharp tools and not to get carried away, our instructor could relate stories involving friends that had suffered injury as a result of being over eager with a blade.

This picture shows the wind pipe. As well as not cutting ourselves we were also told to be careful to avoid damage to the organs and the potential for contamination of any samples.




Here the animal has been opened up to expose the gut. This was removed and laid out for examination. At this point it was emphasised that touch is crucial. Are the organs hard/soft? For anyone reading that has gutted a rabbit before, the principal of the sheep's gut is the same, albeit on a larger scale. 







One of two healthy looking kidneys, see below.










On closer examination one of the kidneys was marked (above the thumb on the lower hand), but not in such a way as to indicate that this was the cause of death.









The liver; this was a major concern prior to the procedure. It actually turned out to be healthy. The fluke worms that can be a risk in wet periods can severely damage the liver, adults worms leaving biro diameter tunnels through the structure.

It is amazing to note however that the sheep can survive with up to 70% liver damage and recover after treatment.





A section through the liver demonstrating its condition. 











Where the problem lay. The sheep had been suffering from breathing difficulties and in its last days had been struggling to keep up with the flock. Here the diaphragm has been removed and the lungs revealed.

In a healthy animal the lungs would be a fluffy pink colour. Here they are clearly not and are burdened with white'ish tumors. Clearly we had identified the problem; the vet diagnosed Maedi Visna (MV).

Sheep farmers will be familiar with the disease. If you are a regular visitor to agricultural shows over the summer months you may have noticed that sheep are often split into groups, one MV accredited and the other not. MV travels through the air and the sheep are separated to avoid the risk of the disease being transmitted.

A number of this flock are now having their blood tested to check for MV. It may be that this sheep was the only victim. Certainly without the autopsy the illness would not have been identified and the rest of the flock left at risk.