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Lamb tail docking changes 'would cause financial hardship' for farmers

Elaine MitchellSouth west reporter, BBC News NI
BBC A man in blue overalls stands in a field. His hair is grey and standing up due to the wind he is smiling widely. In the field behind him is a herd of sheep. Further beyond is a body of water and a hill across the water. It's a sunny bright day, with some clouds in the sky and lush green grass in the field. BBC
Farmer Alan Brady said tail docking is necessary to prevent disease

Farmers have raised concerns about the potential impact of proposed changes to lamb tail docking following a UK-wide consultation on the practice.

Currently many lambs have their tails docked when they are just hours or days old, for cleanliness and to help prevent disease.

The proposed changes include requiring pain relief for certain procedures, introducing alternative methods and setting restrictions on how and when they can be carried out.

A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) said the move followed advice that current methods "cause chronic pain".

A lamb is to the front of the frame. It is off white, and has gangly legs and large ears. It has some green marking on it's fleece. It be being held in a farmers hand. He is not properly seen in the picture - just his hand holding the lamb by it's front legs and some blue overalls in the back.They are in a barn.
The lambs are often only hours old when they have their tails docked

On a farm in County Fermanagh student Jessica McCullough, 18, has "ringed" the tails of almost 400 lambs this lambing season.

She says the practice is "simple".

"We take the tail and a wee rubber ring and use pliers to put it around the tail, snap it off there and over time it loses circulation and falls off.

"We do it on lambs that were born last night or early this morning before they get too old.

"It gives them a wee bit of discomfort just there and then.

"It works out well in the long-term for severe conditions that can be fatal for the sheep."

A young woman stands in an animal shed. She is warmly dressed overalls over a hooded top. She is wearing a woolly hat and has long dark hair underneath. She is smiling.
Student Jessica has "ringed" the tails of almost 400 lambs this season

Why is docking carried out?

Supervising her work is farmer Alan Brady, who says tail docking is necessary to prevent disease.

"It's essential. We've been doing it all my life here. If we didn't take those tails off in May or June any slight bit of dirt around the lambs tails with a fly strike you'd get maggots and in three or four days you'd have the lamb dead."

Brady questioned the need for additional measures such as anaesthesia.

"There's absolutely no need when a lamb can be tailed at four to six hours of age with no pain. It works quite easily. We just lift the lamb up, slip the ring and they never feel a thing."

He also warned about the financial impact on farmers if ministers decide the procedure should be medicated.

"Cost is a big enough problem with meal and fertiliser and labour we don't need any more cost. There's little enough margin there."

A flock of sheep stand in a field. The sky above is cloudy and the grass is a vibrant green. Beyond the sheep you can see some water and some hills. Two of the sheep are looking at the camera and they all have black faces and black legs and a fluffy White fleece.
The lambing season is well under way in County Fermanagh

Tail docking 'causes pain'

Across the UK, lamb castration and tail docking are commonly carried out using rubber rings typically without anaesthesia or pain relief.

The consultation document states that "rubber ring castration and tail docking caused significant, acute and chronic pain".

It adds that the proposals aim to "ensure that where castration and tail docking is carried out, pain caused to the animals by these procedures is appropriately minimised".

The document also notes that "mutilations such as castration and docking are routinely carried out within the sheep sector" but are "painful procedures" with the government intention "to reduce the prevalence of mutilations and safeguard animal welfare where these procedures are properly justified".

In 2022, a report by the government's Animal Welfare Committee suggested: "Tail docking, as currently practised, cause a welfare harm that includes immediate and ongoing pain."

It added: "These mutilations should generally be avoided", however, it also highlighted wider challenges.

"This is a multifaceted, systematic problem, which will require systematic change," the report said.

A man stands in front of a wooden wall. He is bald, with glasses and has a red beard. He's dressed in a pale yellow polo shirt with an orange and brown body warmer over it. He is smiling.
Vet Paul Crawford thinks the proposals could be hard to implement.

What have farmers said?

The Ulster Farmer's Union (UFU) said it had "serious concerns" about the proposals.

UFU Deputy President Glen Cuddy said farmers take animal welfare "extremely seriously", adding that the procedures are "only carried out where necessary to protect the health and well-being of lambs".

"They remain essential management tools," he continued.

"Current methods are quick, safe and minimise stress. Adding extra handling, labour or veterinary involvement risks increasing stress on animals and costs for farmers, while making these practices less practical."

Vet Paul Crawford said that if the proposals are actioned it would likely incur cost.

"There is going to be a financial cost, both in the terms of medicine, buying the medicine and the needles and syringes to administer it, as well as the time it's going to take for them to do that."

He added that access to medicines for procedures could also be an issue.

"There's nothing authorised in the UK for sheep, full stop.

"Never mind for lambs of under two weeks of age or under one week of age," when, he said, most would be getting the procedure.

What has the department said?

A spokesperson for Daera said it hasn't committed to any action yet.

"Participation was considered a useful exercise to gain stakeholder views on this matter without committing to any specific course of action.

"Farmed animal welfare remains a devolved matter under the responsibility of Minister Muir.

"Defra (the UK Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs) is currently analysing the consultation responses and any future decisions in this area will require further ministerial consideration and agreement."

The outcome of the consultation is now under consideration.