Animal By-Products Legislation

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Animal By-Products Legislation

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Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
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Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 12:40 pm Post subject: Animal By-Products Legislation

I've just read that the 2003 Animal By-Products Legislation prohibits animal by-products being brought onto livestock premises.

This would stop a farmer bringing their own sheepskin rug onto their premises even if it was from one of their own slaughtered sheep and properly tanned!

To follow the letter of the law wearing leather shoes on a livestock farm would be illegal.

Is anyone aware of this daft law?

sean
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Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 1:33 pm Post subject:
No, I wasn't. Are you sure it doesn't say 'unprocessed' somewhere in the wording?

Treacodactyl
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Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 1:55 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

No, I wasn't. Are you sure it doesn't say 'unprocessed' somewhere in the wording?

The comments are from the March 2005 Country Smallholding and specifically mention that example. Wool is not covered by the regs and the article does say they are being examined. I'll do some digging over the weekend as this may affect what I'd like to do.

alison
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Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 7:40 pm Post subject:
My understanding from the abattoir is that you can have the fleeces picked up from the abattoir, by courier to the processor and then they are made into something else, and cannot contaminate the livestock, so they can go on to the farm. It is the waste in its raw state that cannot go back to the farm.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Mon Feb 07, 05 7:24 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

No, I wasn't. Are you sure it doesn't say 'unprocessed' somewhere in the wording?

As far as I am aware, there is nothing that actually states that in the law, it is left to the interpretation of it to exclude leather shoes.

Marigold123

Joined: 06 Feb 2005
Posts: 224

Posted: Tue Feb 08, 05 2:20 pm Post subject:

Does 'premises' include just the working part of the farm, or all of it, including the farmer's front room?

A strict interpretation of the law could mean that mean he wouldn't be allowed to buy a sheepskin rug from a department store, or have a leather sofa, or sleep on feather pillows, or eat eggs for breakfast and sausages for dinner???

How silly!

How do they define 'animal by-products'? Are they seen as being distinct from the main animal product, ie. meat, eggs, milk, etc, or are all these considered to be 'by-products' as well?

And does this only apply to commercial livestock premises, or the smallholder as well? Am I allowed to feed crushed eggshells back to the hens that produced them to help their calcium levels? I wouldn't be surprised if that was outlawed in a commercial venture, but what about in a backyard flock of three birds, where we eat most of the produce ourselves?

If the Government are are going to introduce such laws, then at least let them be properly thought-out. Such half-arsed policy-making that so leaves so much open to interpretation doesn't protect anyone from anything - except possibly the backside of the politician from the media's boot - which is probably all they are really designed to do in the first place!

Sorry, a tad cynical there - You might have noticed?

alison wrote:

My understanding from the abattoir is that you can have the fleeces picked up from the abattoir, by courier to the processor and then they are made into something else, and cannot contaminate the livestock, so they can go on to the farm. It is the waste in its raw state that cannot go back to the farm.

(Edited to ask whether this is stated in law or an interpretation of that law, which could, in theory, be changed at any time. Just wondered, as it seems the Government are holding all the cards, here!

)

alison
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Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Feb 08, 05 8:25 pm Post subject:
My understanding is any part of the holding, for raw by product. Eggs are a food product and don't count as waste. Things like leather and sheepskin rugs have already been processed.

Marigold123

Joined: 06 Feb 2005
Posts: 224

Posted: Tue Feb 08, 05 11:52 pm Post subject:
Ah OK, that's not quite so mad then. Thanks.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 05 11:28 am Post subject:

alison wrote:

My understanding is any part of the holding, for raw by product.

Eggs are a food product and don't count as waste.

Things like leather and sheepskin rugs have already been processed.

That's the (sensible) interpretation, yes. All these new laws are designed specifically to make home slaughter impractical- there is nothing to actually stop you carrying it out, but the complications of 'waste' laws make it not worth bothering, unfortuantely, that takes some very old traditions with it

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