First trip to abattoir

[helen salmon]

Hello Everyone,

Next thursday we are taking our first dexter to the abattoir. Does anyone have any tips to help this go smoothly?

Helen

[Broomcroft]

Seriously, don't worry, it'll be fine Helen. The first one is sort of scary, or at least I thought it was, or maybe it's just me?

I'd plan to turn up a bit early so there's no rush. All you should need is the cattle passport and the new FCI form. Keep a postcard from the passport to send off yourself. I don't know whether this is necessary but I do.

If your animal has lost an ear tag, don't worry as long as he has the big one. Probably ok with just the small one but never done it.

When you leave, you either clean down your trailer there, or you sign a form stating that you will clean down the trailer when you get home. What difference filling in a form makes I'm not really sure , but it keeps someone in a job. Nobody reads those forms because I filled them in completely wrong for 5 years before I realised my mistake . All those trees wasted.

[ann]

I think your slaughter house must be more lenient than any of ours as you definitely need both eartags in around us, you might get away with it if you took the other tag and said it had come out on the journey, but I certainly would not risk it.

I still hate taking my cattle to the slaughter house, but try to make it as pleasant as possible, fortunately we still have a small one 10 miles away as my very close one closed last year due to the new rules

[helen salmon]

Thank you for your help and reassurance Ann and Clive. You were right - it all went smoothly and everyone was very helpful to us first timers. I didn't think I would, but I did shed a tear or two as we drove away. Ours is such a small herd and we are in the field with them several times a day so I guess its not surprising I'm attached.