The Humberside Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that about 800 goats died in the blaze in Ottringham on Monday afternoon, 12th May. 

Six fire engines attended the scene, with firefighters using an aerial ladder platform to battle the fire. 

The barn contained about 1,000 goats; therefore, there are approximately 200 survivors, The Independent reported. 

How to prevent fire on your farm

• Regular maintenance – Ensure that your equipment is clean and maintained before every harvest activity. Regular equipment blowdowns and lubrication schedules can help avoid fires within your equipment.
• Help firemen find you – Provide the fire and rescue service’s control centre with what3words from the entrance of your farm and wait for the first appliance. They will then ask you to guide them to the scene of the incident.
• Know where your water supplies are – Ensure that any available water supplies on your farm are accessible to fire and rescue crews. If you know where your nearest fire hydrant is, ensure that this is clear and accessible.
• Have contingency arrangements in place – Consider using cultivators to put in fire breaks where safe to do so. If you have water bowsers available to extinguish spot fires ensure that they are near and full of water.
• Store safe – Where possible avoid storing bales near main roads to deter would-be trespassers and arsonists. Store pesticides and fertilisers securely and remember it’s critical to let us know if these products are involved in a fire due to the specific risks they pose.
• Check conditions and consult the Fire Severity Index before planning harvesting activities – This will help you identify the best time of day to start your harvesting to avoid the most extreme weather zones. Also, check wind direction and where possible harvest in the direction of the already cut crop and not the unharvested crop

Read more farm safety news.

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Kew Little Pigs Farm located in Amersham confirmed that four goats have been stolen from the premises between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, 10th and 11th December. 

The owners said: “This morning we were heartbroken to discover that thieves had broken into the farm and taken Sunday, Comet, Rose and Blitzen from their pen.  

“These goats are members of our family, and we can’t believe that this has happened. Especially as our security is so tight.  

“We are urgently appealing for anyone who is offered goats for sale, or has any information to get in touch with us directly, or by calling police on 111.  

“This is not the first time that our goats have been the target of crime.”

A similar incident happened on the farm before. In October 2022, another family of goats was taken from Kew Little Pigs Farm, which prompted the owners to ramp up security and CCTV at the premises. 

Plea for help

The farm owners added that they have some CCTV footage from an incident that occurred on 10th December between 9.40pm and 10.08pm on School Lane in Amersham. 

They are asking local residents for any information and footage from this time and location. 

They added: “We are specifically searching for a large van with two to three individuals driving during this time. 

“This location is just off Old Amersham High Street and School Lane, so if you were driving in the vicinity around that time, please check your devices.” 

Kew Little Pigs Farm has just launched a fundraising to strengthen the security measures at the site. 

The owners explained: “It is deeply troubling that individuals can take our animals. It’s unsettling to realise that our farm has been accessed without our knowledge, resulting in the theft of our animals for the second time. 

“We have launched a GoFundMe campaign and would be incredibly grateful for your support.” 

Support the farm here. 

READ MORE: VIDEO: Farm shop worker hit by shoplifter’s car during escape

READ MORE: Officer who hit a cow with police car set to return to frontline duties

Read more rural crime news. 

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RSPCA said that its independent review has found that the scheme is “operating effectively to assure animal welfare on member farms”. 

A total of 225 RSPCA Assured farm sites were randomly selected for unannounced visits, with 200 unannounced assessments completed, covering approximately 22.5 million individual animals on site at the point of inspection. 

Almost all of the assessed farms (93%) had less than five non-compliances out of a minimum of over 500 welfare standards per species.  

There were 294 total non-compliances across those sites. Many of these non-compliances were for minor or administrative issues and RSPCA said its team was working with these farms to remedy these areas. 

The report concluded that the findings from its unannounced programme of farms sampled were consistent with the results of standard scheme assessment visits, which suggests that “current assessment programme is detecting non-compliances and that there aren’t wider welfare issues”. 

Significant increase in farm visits 

RSPCA Assured said: “The findings from our own assessments and data, are consistent with the findings from the independent review.” 

The report includes 20 recommendations, and RSPCA Assured said it will be taking all of them forward, and has already started to implement changes as part of an ongoing improvement programme. 

The guidance includes a significant increase in the number of announced and unannounced visits to RSPCA Assured members as well as the development of an approach to identify potential concerns regarding farmer and stockkeeper welfare and investigate how this may impact upon animal welfare. 

RSPCA Assured is also set to be exploring the use of more technological aids, including additional CCTV and using body-worn cameras to aid identification of issues and improved enforcement of standards. 

The organisation has also developed a Target Operating Model (TOM) as part of its improvement programme to modernise the scheme.  

This provides a framework for managing the scheme effectively and its scope will be broadened to encompass governance and culture within the scheme. 

Last line of defence 

RSPCA said: “This review provides us, our supporters and the public further confidence that RSPCA Assured is actively improving the lives of millions of farmed animals.  

“We want a world where RSPCA Assured isn’t needed any more, but right now it is the last line of defence for far too many of the most vulnerable and exploited animals. 

“We have an ambitious modernisation programme for RSPCA Assured, which is already underway. This includes significantly increased unannounced visits and further exploring the use of technology – such as body worn cameras and CCTV – to give comprehensive and real-time welfare insights.” 

Read more livestock news. 

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Independent sheep consultant Nerys Wright said that persistent wet weather this year has accelerated the emergence of acute fluke cases in certain regions, emphasising the importance for farmers to regularly monitor for fluke to assess the specific risk to their farms. 

Mrs Wright: “This year’s fluke season will be longer, and the risk will likely differ compared to previous years due to the weather, making monitoring for clinical signs, like poor performance and weight loss, as well as testing even more critical.” 

Sheep do not develop immunity to fluke, and no treatment has a persistent effect, so the expert stresses that if a farm has previously been affected by fluke, managing fluke risk is essential. 

Testing options for fluke 

“You don’t want to treat too early if the risk isn’t present on your farm, as you may have to treat again later in the season. Similarly, you don’t want to treat too late and have production losses or even death. It’s important to monitor and test regularly during the risk period,” the sheep consultant added. 

Mrs Wright outlines several testing options for fluke, including: 

• Post Mortem: Asking your vet to postmortem ewes or lambs that die at this time of the year, is an opportunity to look at the livers and bile ducts for evidence of acute or historical fluke. 

• Blood Antibody ELISA Test: This shows whether a sheep has been exposed to liver fluke and is most effective for first-grazing season animals, such as ewe lambs. 

• Coproantigen ELISA Test: Conducted on dung samples, this test is useful in late autumn/winter to detect mid- to late-stage infections. It generally provides two to three weeks warning compared to a faecal egg test. 

• Faecal Fluke Egg Count: This can only detect liver fluke when egg-laying adults are present. 

• Abattoir feedback: If you send lambs or cull ewes direct to slaughter, asking for feedback on the livers is valuable information about historic infections, highlighting how well fluke is managed on your farm.    

Understand what you’re dealing with 

Mrs Wright said: “Speak to your vet or animal health advisor who knows your farm about testing and treatment options, as it is difficult for advisers to know what to do or when to act without understanding what is happening on your farm.” 

When fluke risk is identified, various treatment options are available depending on the level of fluke challenge, the time of year, what products work on your farm and farm management systems. 

Zoetis vet Patricia van Veen added that treatment choice will depend on whether the disease risk is caused by adult fluke, immature or early immature fluke migrating through the liver. 

“Flukicides have varying efficacy for early/ late immature and mature fluke, so it’s essential to understand what you’re dealing with and consult your animal health advisor for the best treatment option.  

“Oral triclabendazole formulation has the highest efficacy in the early immature fluke stages. In addition to treatments, managing ongoing risk by avoiding high-fluke risk fields, or even areas within fields, is essential to minimise production losses from acute fluke in autumn,” she concluded. 

Read more livestock news. 

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After recent outbreaks of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) – or ‘goat plague’ – in mainland Europe, Defra has announced strict new controls to protect Britain’s livestock population.

It will no longer be permitted to bring unpackaged sheep and goat meat and meat products, or sheep and goat milk and milk products, into Great Britain from the following areas:

• The EU
• European Free Trade Association states
• Greenland 
• Faroe Islands. 

Additionally, commercially produced and packaged sheep and goat milk and milk products are not permitted from Greece or Romania.

The rules are now in force in England, and come into force in Wales today (22^nd August) – with Scotland to follow soon. 

These measures will remain in place until PPR no longer presents a risk to GB through the import of those products.

READ MORE: Greece announces nationwide restrictions to tackle ‘goat plague’ outbreak

Spreading rapidly

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) poses no risk to human health but is a highly contagious disease affecting goats and sheep. It can kill up to 70% of affected animals.

The commercial import of certain commodities is already restricted to prevent the spread of PPR into Great Britain. 

Greece first detected the PPR outbreak on 11^th July and has since spread rapidly from farm to farm and into Romania. 

Everyone can do their bit

The UK’s deputy chief veterinary officer Ele Brown said:

“An outbreak [of PPR] in the UK would lead to animal suffering and be very damaging for our farming and livestock industry. 

“Everyone can do their bit to help stop animal diseases spreading to this country by simply not bringing unpackaged meat, cheese and milk on to our shores.”

Everyone can help to stop the spread of PPR to the UK by doing the following:

• If you are visiting PPR-affected countries, do not bring any sheep or goat products back to the UK
• If you are visiting EU or EFTA countries not affected by PPR, you must not bring back sheep or goat products unless commercially produced and packaged to EU standards
• Dispose of any leftovers or food waste in secure bins that sheep, goats, or wildlife cannot access
• Farmers, the public and members of the food industry should practice high biosecurity standards, including never feeding catering waste, kitchen scraps or meat or milk products to sheep and goats, which is illegal and can spread the disease.

Read more livestock news.

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Ami is the first RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Camelid Practice, and is among 48 UK vets welcomed to the Fellowship this year.

The RCVS Fellowship is a learned society that promotes scientific excellence, furthers professional skills and practice, and acts as a trusted and authoritative voice within the veterinary profession.

Ami has been admitted to the group in recognition of her commitment to improving the health and welfare of the growing UK camelid population, as well as supporting fellow vets.

As well as driving clinical research into camelids, she delivers CPD and training to empower vets to utilise their transferrable skills to treat camelid patients.

This follows a boom in the ownership of llamas and alpacas in the UK in recent years.

Ami will be formally welcomed by the RCVS at this year’s Fellowship Day in London on November 28^th. 

Championing camelids 

She wants to use her fellowship to continue to champion camelids as well as empower more vets to care for them.

“Maintaining camelid welfare is extremely important, and clients should also be able to have consistent care from their vets,” she said.

“Camelid medicine has historically been undertaught, leading to a lack of confidence in providing care. 

“I completely understand this, and am working to allay and fears around treating camelid species and dealing with novel situations.

“I want to empower vets to use their transferrable skills from caring for sheep and cattle knowing it is useful for camelid practice. 

“Their care is nuanced in some ways, however, farm vets are equipped to build on these foundations and deliver excellent care.”

Novel farming opportunity 

Ami’s own PhD is in dairy cattle mobility but she ended up moving towards camelid medicine when working in a highly populated area. 

The more camelid work she did, the more she enjoyed it, particularly since you can mix high level individual animal medicine with herd health. 

“Initially, camelids presented a novel farming opportunity then people invested in them to provide luxurious fibre,” she continued. 

“Camelid numbers are steadily increasing in the UK, along with the diverse ways people interact with them. 

“They have an appeal that extends from commercial enterprises to the pet and companion market and are also used for trekking as well as other attractions.”

Varied career 

A 2011 Liverpool University graduate, Ami has enjoyed a varied career in farm practice. 

She sits on the Farm Executive at VetPartners, the larger veterinary group which owns Westpoint Farm Vets.

As an SPVS-RCVS Mind Matters Wellbeing Award winner, she has encouraged Westpoint to focus on veterinary wellbeing and a positive, inclusive culture.

She sits on the British Veterinary LGBTQ+ Committee, The Society of Practicing Veterinary Surgeons and the British Veterinary Camelid Society Boards. 

She is also the current SPVS junior vice president. 

READ MORE: Alpaca owners called to participate in research  

Ami was awarded the first UK Bright Minds Practice Game Changer Award in 2023 for her dedication to improving practice culture and efforts to make farm practice more attractive, welcoming and inclusive for future farm vets.

Commenting on her Fellowship she paid tribute to her mentor Dr Karin Mueller, and added: 

“I never thought a fellowship would be the kind of accolade that would be achievable for someone like me in first opinion farm practice but I think it is important first opinion vets are held in esteem for the work they do.”

Read more livestock news.

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Costas Tsiaras, Greek minister of agriculture and rural development, announced the ban on the commercial slaughter of goats and sheep as well as movement for reproduction, expanding measures already in effect in parts of central Greece where the outbreak was first reported, Associated Press Reporters confirmed. 

The PPR virus, also known as the ‘goat plague’, is a highly contagious disease affecting goats and sheep.

It causes severe illness and death of livestock, however, it has no adverse effect on human health, according to Greek officials. 

The regional governor Dimitris Kouretas said last week that about 7,000 animals in herds where the disease has been identified have been culled in the hardest-hit central Thessaly region, with another 1,200 to be added early this week. 

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) describes PPR as “characterised by severe morbidity and mortality rates” with a high economic impact in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, where goats and sheep are an important source of food. 

Read more livestock news.

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Its population, which is estimated at just 450, lives in the Cheviot Hills in Northumberland and is connected with the ancient domesticated goats. 

Cheviot goats, which are considered an “authentic remnant” of Britain’s original primitive goats, have been added to the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) watchlist to support their conservation. 

According to a legend, the goats of the Cheviot Hills originated when the monks of Lindisfarne abandoned their monastery in 875AD alarmed by the threat of further Viking invasion. 

Herding their livestock along with them, they moved south, taking St Cuthbert’s body to his eventual resting place in Durham, but the goats were too capricious and were left to roam in the Cheviots, the charity said. 

Added to feral population category 

From the 450 Cheviot goats, including the wild herd and animals held by private breeders and for conservation grazing schemes, only 86 females produced offspring in 2023. 

The goat has been added to the feral population category, which recognises the breed as a rare native feral population and support its conservation. 

Christopher Price, chief executive of the RBST, said: “They are a crucial link to the UK’s original primitive goats that were so relied upon by generation after generation, from the Bronze and Iron Ages, through medieval times and up to the smallholders of the 19th and early 20th centuries.” 

He added that without the isolated feral College Valley Cheviot herd, these genetics would have been lost “irretrievably”. 

The Cheviot is considered excellent for conservation grazing – the practice of using livestock to graze land in ways that specifically support wildlife and habitats. 

The list is the RBST’s annual report on the conservation status of native UK livestock and equine breeds, highlighting those which are most endangered. 

Read more livestock news. 

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This non-invasive research will specifically investigate head shape and facial fleece density and could potentially play an important role in informing the health and welfare of future generations of alpaca, the researchers said. 

Farm vet Dr Ami Sawran, from Westpoint Farm Vets and VetPartners, is leading the project, assisted by Phillippa Hampson, BVSc Undergraduate University of Bristol, Dr Liz Paul, Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol, and Dr Jenny Stavisky, VetPartners clinical research manager. 

Helping advance knowledge and understanding 

Dr Sawran, who holds a certificate in advanced camelid practice from the University of Liverpool and is the first and currently only RCVS-recognised Advanced Practitioner in Camelid Practice, said:  “The UK alpaca industry has always strived for excellence and the continuing improvement of its breeding stock, with the British Alpaca Society releasing a breed standard in April 2021 outlining both positive and negative traits. 

“However, farm veterinary practitioners continue to report cases of rickets, dental disease, improper halter positioning that could impinge on nasal cartilage, eye injuries, and other conditions, that could potentially be linked to a shortened snout. 

“Our study, inviting as many alpaca owners as possible to take part, will help advance knowledge and understanding of the current landscape in regard to potential brachycephalic traits seen in alpacas.” 

Research for health and welfare of future generations 

The researchers added that by carrying out this project, they can evaluate whether there is a current shift towards a certain appearance; for example, how an alpaca head looks, and whether such attributes may influence future generations’ health and welfare, as well as share learnings with BAS and alpaca breeders. 

Qualitative data is being collected from anonymous participants in the form of a short email questionnaire regarding information about your animal and its use.  

A side view and front-on photographs of each animal plus facial measurements will also be required at an on-farm visit conducted by one of the researchers.  

To take part ami.sawran@westpointfarmvets.co.uk. The first round of data collection will end in August 2024, however, there is scope to continue to expand the dataset after this point. Data will be securely stored by the University of Bristol. 

Read more farm business news.

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The goats, Jasmine, Primrose, and Poppy were taken from the Honeycomb Farm in Hailsham between 4pm on Sunday 30th June and 6 am on Monday 1st July.  

The farm owner, Paul Koc, then said that his six-year-old daughter, Rae, was left “heartbroken”. 

Fortunately, the goats were reunited with their owners at the end of last week. 

Happy ending 

The goats were found abandoned in a field off Stonehurst Lane in Uckfield on Thursday night, 4th July. 

Their ear tags were removed, which caused minor injuries, but otherwise they were unharmed, Sussex Police said. 

The goats’ owner, Paul Koc, said: “We want to thank everyone who shared on social media, the press who broadcast the story, and Sussex Police for their work on the investigation. 

“We’re so pleased they have been returned, it means so much to us and especially my daughter. 

“We now want to find out who the culprits are, so this doesn’t happen to anyone else.” 

Mr Koc also confirmed that the goats were abandoned at a local animal santuary, The Kit Wilson Trust for Animal Welfare. 

Its team cared for them overnight before they were reunited with their mothers.  

Investigation continues 

Sergeant Tom Carter, from the Rural Crime Team, said: “This has been an extremely distressing time for this family, and we recognise the impact animal theft has on victims. 

“That is why we take all reports of this nature extremely seriously, and will investigate all reasonable lines of enquiry. 

“If you can help with the investigation, please report it to the police.” 

Anyone who saw anything suspicious around this time or has any information that could help, is asked to contact police online or via 101, quoting serial 300 of 01/07. 

Read more rural crime news. 

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