ORGANISED CHAOS ANITA HEAD
DUTY OF CARE TO PROVIDE
ACCURATE INFORMATION The dung has been spread and the fertiliser has been delivered. Spring drilling has begun in earnest, as the weather conditions allow. The first half of February (I even managed to mow the lawn) was very dry and the rain certainly made up for it in the later part. Let us hope March is kind to us. The evenings are drawing out and the additional daylight hours are a welcome change for the dreary winter. Spring is on its way. A little bit of warmth and the crops will grow in earnest. This month has been and gone in a whirlwind. So much to achieve in such a short space of time. With February only being 28 days and a half term thrown in the middle, it would appear we are nearly a quarter of the way through the year. We now have a five year old in the house (where has the time gone?), next month we shall also celebrate having a 21 year old! Now I am feeling really old. I seem to sound more like my mother every year (I’m sure the children will agree with me). When asking Ted what he would like for his birthday he replied “a slurry tanker”, an unusual present but the excitement mounted when he realised it was a remote-control Fendt tractor and slurry tanker. Apparently, it is the best present ever! I’m not sure we’ll see the same excitement from Fergus when he receives his birthday present. While writing this article I had subconsciously decided to avoid any political debate; Boris, Prince Andrew, Russia etc, so instead I decided to watch
Panorama – A cow’s life, the true price of milk. What a disaster, what a mistake. The BBC decided to air a programme that didn’t show a true reflection of a cow’s life in British farming. This program was a completely biased, one sided, undercover programme highlighting an issue (that needed to be dealt with) that happens on a minority of dairy farms. I am convinced 99% of UK dairy farmers adhere to the stringent rules and regulations. How dare you, BBC, portray us all on the back of one farm’s poor actions? How dare you push an agenda that doesn’t truly reflect and portray an industry which has the highest animal welfare standards in the world and adheres to them? I do not condone any of the cruelty shown in the programme, but I do condemn the BBC and the undercover activist group that chose to make this programme rather than report the cruelty to the relevant authorities. You have prolonged the suffering of those cows and are no better than the abusers. You made this programme for viewer ratings and not on behalf of the welfare of those
ANITA HEAD Farmer
cows. As a media outlet you have a duty of care to provide accurate information, not show edited clips designed to misinform the general public about the whole industry. You haven’t shown the 99% of farmers who adore their animals or the farmer who cries when they lose a cow they have nurtured for weeks or any other animal that dies. You do not show the farmers who spend many hours up through the night ensuring 24-hour nursing care to their animals. The farmers who adhere to every standard for a Red Tractor assurance scheme and sky-high standards from their milk purchasers and many more. Farmers have their milk price dictated by the supermarkets and still adhere to every standard. What does the BBC think this programme is going to achieve, apart from demoralising all dairy farmers when farmers should instead be thanked for providing three meals a day? Look at the success of Jeremy Clarkson’s programme and even Tom Pemberton on YouTube. These are both programmes that display the love and affection as well as the truth behind farming. These guys are the same as the rest of farmers, guys who love the animals. These guys show a true representation of the UK’s farmers. I’ve registered my complaint with the BBC. Lets see how many others have done the same. Rant over for this month… Take care and stay safe.
PRE-CALVING NUTRITIONAL ADVICE The key to a successful calving period is cow condition. Cows should be fit – not fat – when they calve down, ideally with a condition score in the 2.5-3 range at calving. Large fat deposits in the birth canal may impede the passage of the calf, but probably of greater importance is the fact that fat cows lose their appetite earlier than fit cows as calving approaches - and are slower to regain it after calving. The reduced feed intake pre-calving means that magnesium intake also falls and this reduces her ability to mobilise calcium from bones. A modest reduction in calcium availability reduces the ability of the womb to contract, prolonging the first stage of labour (slow calving syndrome),
TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883
while a more serious calcium deficiency can lead to milk fever. Maintaining blood magnesium levels helps maximise both calcium absorption from the gut and mobilisation from bones, dramatically reducing the risk of milk fever. Crystalyx Pre-Calver contains a unique combination of magnesium salts to optimise uptake and availability within the cow to help maintain blood magnesium levels as calving approaches, together with generous levels of all trace elements to help replenish body reserves prior to calving and promote a strong immune response within both the cow and calf, which is important for calf health and vigour. The high levels of Vitamin E and selenium also help reduce the risk of retained afterbirth.
With typical intakes averaging 200g/cow/day, feeding Crystalyx Pre-Calver for an eight-week dry period represents an investment of only around £11 per cow.
WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MARCH 2022
53
