Cattle Transport

[Tim Watson]

Does anyone have any recent experience / recommendations for a good livestock transporter to bring a single animal from the Huddersfield area to North Devon?
Thanks
Tim

[Buryhill Dexters]

Hi Tim

Try messaging one of the members on here "Cobbledegook" or see their website - http://www.daveyslivestocktransport.co.uk, they are based in Cornwall but travel up and down the country regularly.

[Cobbledegook]

Hi Tim,

Yes I can help you. Thank you buryhill for the reccomendation. Sadly the website is down at the moment, but pleas if you would like me to help, call the office on 01566 774251 or email daveyslivestock@aol.com

Thank you, Lisa.

[Tim Watson]

We have spent a lot of time since our OP trying to figure out how to collect a bull, including trying to do it ourselves.

To do so legally, we would have to have:-
1) a tacho fitted to the Landrover (approx £750 we are told),
2) a stock trailer that complies with the ventilation regs (rather than a modified horse trailer which would require the rear top doors open),
3) find, enrol and pass a Certificate of Competence for for Journeys over 65km and under 8hrs,
4) apply to AH for an Animal tranport Authorisation for Type 1 Authorisations ( valid for journeys over 65km and under 8hrs.
5) a journey not more than 10hrs (ie 5 each way otherwise a second driver or an overnight stop will be needed).

The above all hinges on it being an economic activity (profitability has nothing to do with it) and VOSA will ask what you do with your stock. If you sell them or if you get prize money for showing them it will be deemed to be economic activity. VOSA seem to have differing opinions on what is or is not legal but once stopped they appear unlikely to give you the benefit of the doubt and will involve - VOSA, Police, Trading Standards, DEFRA and AH. By the time they have finished with you I figured I would have wanted to pay someone else to do it!!

So we tried to find someone who could do it for us. Plenty who could if there was full access and turning for an artic or even an artic and drag but if this is not possible he would have to have been tailgated which we are told is illegal.

We have now found a very helpful chap to do our transport. He has been involved in stock transport since a small boy as was his father and I think grandfather. He now runs a successful business servicing a lot of the cattle transporters but has a couple of small trucks (one, a demonstrator, can be hired), ideal for moving small numbers of stock in a dedicated move - I think fairly typical of what many of the Dexter owners may need.

His details are:-

Alan Lock
SMLRS Ltd
Unit M Pathfields Business Park
South Molton
Devon
EX36 3LH

Tel: 01769 572220
Mob: 07831 572220
Email: sales@smlrs.co.uk

[SteveM]

analogue tacho into an N reg shogun was £700 in 2010, newer vehicles are only allowed digital ones which then need user cards i think but not sure. Never been stopped by anyone from police or vosa since fitting, its now due a calibration.

usefull to keep a track of the mileage i do with cattle in though, however vehicles only don 20,000 kilometres since fitting.

type 1 authorisation expired and been renewed, looks like the certificate of competence doesnt have an expiry date.