A SERIES of meetings are to be held to help Herefordshire farmers get to grips with new regulations around the movement of livestock from one holding to another.

The meetings have been organised by the NFU and Herefordshire Rural Hub and will be at Kington, Michaelchurch Escley and Bodenham in a bid to help clear up confusion around the new rules which are currently being rolled-out across the country.

The changes were announced by the government last year to help simplify the rules on recording and reporting livestock movements with a view that it would also improve livestock traceability with consequent benefits for disease control.

Farmers will continue to be notified into the summer but there has been some concern about the transition to the new arrangements and the options available.

The meetings will be held at 7.30pm on February 8 at Escleyside Village Hall in Michaelchurch Escley, at 10am on February 9 at Bodenham Parish Hall and at 1pm at Kington Livestock Market on the same date.

Farmer Ian Cairns who is also a Farming Advisory Service adviser, working on behalf of Defra, will be the guest speaker and discuss the new system.

Jonathan Evans, NFU West Midlands livestock lead, said: “The new rules come into play once farmers have had a letter from Defra and registered, however, there is some confusion and concern from those who have been notified and this needs clearing up.

“Under the new rules farmers in England are able to apply to register all the land they use within a 10 mile radius, whether on a permanent or temporary basis under the same County Parish Holding number, CPH, and will no longer be required to report movements between those parcels of land.

“A keeper can also choose not to associate a CPH that he has permanent access to; however the six day standstill, along with reporting and recording movements would then come into force.

“Reporting and standstill requirements for livestock movements to other farms or businesses continue to apply.

“The NFU is lobbying for greater clarity on aspects of the new rules and addressing the wider issue of what would appear to be the gold-plating of large parts of this simplification process.”

To book into one of the three Herefordshire meetings contact bookings@herefordshireruralhub.co.uk or call 01432 353465.