SilverWood Ireland

  I was very lucky last weekend to be invited along to a very special celebration for WWOOF Ireland... their launch as a limited not-for-profit company.  This new development will help WWOOF to be more resilient to any future changes, and to set up structures for using surplus funds for the benefit of both wwoofers and hosts.  (For those of you who don't know what wwoofing is, it's an opportunity for volunteers to stay at host farms to learn about organic growing and green lifestyles.  Find out more about WWOOF Ireland on their website.) 

  The event was held at Glensallagh Gardens, a beautiful holiday haven set among trees and rare plants lovingly tended by host Richard Speir.  The "Tractor Shed" is a large apartment with kitchen and meeting room space and a stunning view!
  Saturday morning got going with a talk from WWOOF founder Sue Coppard.  Sue started the organisation in 1971 in the UK, and it has gone on to have thousands of members in countries all around the world.  Not only does wwoofing offer superb learning and travel opportunities for people of all ages, but it also provides much needed help and support for hard-working farmers and growers.

  Irish Wwoofers.  We want more of them!  While we all enjoy our international visitors, we would really love to see more young Irish people making use of this brilliant system to gain knowledge and experience.  For students on organic and agricultural courses, or involved in social sciences, sustainable development, green business studies etc, there is no better way to gain a clearer understanding of how all the theories really work in context.  So come on!  Sign up at wwoof.ie and plan a trip or two this summer.

  I then got to talk about the new Irish Smallholders Association, and as most people in the room would class as smallholders I got some great feedback and suggestions on what they would need as members.  While there was an existing association and website, this has fallen out of use and there is definitely a need for small producers to share information and advice, access resources, supplies and training and also get together and support each other.  Watch this space, as the newly-revamped Smallholders Association will be up and running by May.  There will be a new website with discussion forums, pages for ordering supplies and (by popular demand!) a page to explain all those pesky regulations with all your application forms in one place.  We will also be running complete smallholders courses, and one day learning and networking events.  More news coming soon, but in the meantime if you'd be interested in becoming a member please send me an email to sign up for a special introductory rate.

  After a lovely lunch, looking out over the hills to the sea, there were a number of tours on offer at local projects.  I opted to visit Fiona Ashley's place, which she bought 6 years ago.  It was amazing to see how much could be done in a short time... Fiona has built a house, established a great veggie garden and planted hundreds of trees among the gorse, all of which are already well established.  Saturday was rounded off with a celebration dinner which I hear was fab... I'm afraid I missed it, as I was staying with an old friend and had serious whisky-drinking commitments! :)

  The gathering finished up on Sunday morning with a panel discussion on CSA farming where I joined Sarah Fleming from Cloughjordan Community Farm, John Dolan of Bantry CSA and Aimi Pinder of Kinsale Green Growers to share our experiences on 3 of Ireland's pioneer projects.  CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, a system of farming where a group of consumers become members of a farm enterprise and develop a close relationship with the farmer.  Veg, milk and meat are paid for by regular subscriptions which are paid up-front, giving the farmer the means to produce the food. 
   It was very interesting to hear about the different ways that a scheme could operate... all 3 of these projects started at a similar time, but have very individual characters.  In Cloughjordan, a wide range of food is produced all year round for a weekly fee, and members help themselves to what they need from a distribution point.  In Bantry, shares are sold in a single bulk crop (potatoes) and the full price is paid at the start of the year.  In Kinsale, a packed bag of vegetables is delivered weekly, for 30 weeks of the year.
  All of us had  experimented with oats and been frustrated by trying to proccess them! (See my previous blog on cereals for all the details)   Bantry and Kinsale have given up on oats for now, while Cloughjordan still grows them for animal feed. Some groups were led by consumers who had found a farmer to work with, others were led by a farmer who had advertised for members.   We had all learned a lot aboutset-up costs,  setting realistic goals, keeping our members satisfied and trying not to be overworked.  Once again, students and wwoofers had proved to be a really valuable resource for all of us.  Considering that the first Irish CSA is only 3 1/2 years old, we are doing pretty well... there are now 7 or 8 CSA projects around the country, with more on the way.  To put that into perspective, CSA really got started in the USA 35 years ago, and now there are an estimated 3,000 projects in operation there.  To reach the same saturation in Ireland, we would be looking at around 70 farms... and we still have another 30 years to get there!  However, with small farmers facing ever greater challenges, I think that the supportive structure of CSA will appeal to many and that we will see the spread happen much faster than that.  If you are a food producer, or a consumer, and you'd be interested in setting up a CSA in your area, you can get great advice and information from Cloughjordan CSA (link above), join the Facebook group CSA Ireland, or get information packs from the Soil Association.  Go for it, and good luck!
  Big thanks to Annie King and the team at WWOOF Ireland for putting together such a great event.  Between chatting, learning, touring, eating (oh yes, and drinking) it was a really terrific weekend... nice work if you can get it!

  I got a query this week from a woman who's just got some goats... lucky lady!  Goats really are among the nicest animals on the planet, and I must say I'm missing mine (she's on an extended holiday... more of that later).
  Now, with these newly acquired goats, everything is working out fine, they're healthy and happy and seem to like the chickens... all good so far.  But, they came without tags or papers, and the woman in question isn't sure how to get a herd number, or whether she has to.

  So, the short answer is YES.  If you want to keep cattle, sheep, goats or pigs and use the meat, sell the milk or sell off surplus young, you MUST have a herd number.  You also need a flock number for poultry, if you have more than 50 birds.  This is a good thing, because it's all about traceability, helping to prevent disease in animals and, sometimes, humans. It also allows the local vetrinary department to keep track of animals, and make certain that they are being kept in suitable conditions.  It is illegal to buy or sell livestock without a herd number, you cannot sell meat or milk from an untagged animal, and no butcher will touch an untagged animal- they would lose their license if they did.  

  Goats are a tricky one, as it is only fairly recently (within the last 3 years) that they have had to be tagged, so people are used to being able to trade them as pets.  There is also still a scattered population of wild goats.  So while things are very clear-cut with cattle and sheep, goats are a bit of a grey area.

  I came upon this myself last year, as I moved house (having worked on a farm) and brought my goats with me.  I duly applied for a herd number, but when the inspector showed up he was very sorry, but he couldn't give me one as I didn't have enough land.  You need more than an acre to qualify.  There was, however, no mention of me getting rid of the goats... the inspector just went away and left me to it.  They were now, essentially, pets.

  That was all fine, until September came.  I had parted with one nanny at that stage, but couldn't be without dear old Roux, who is one of my best friends.  But in September, she started coming on heat and INSISTED that we do something about it!  Now, I have a dilemma.  Roux has gone on an extended 'dirty weekend' with the local Billy, but how can I take her back with kids on the way?  I can't sell the milk, or the kids, or use the kids for meat.  So for now, the honeymoon continues until I can find a solution!

  So what ARE the criteria for getting a herd number.  Well first, you'll need a 'recognised holding', and that will need to be more than an acre.  You'll also need to show that you have separate housing and facilities from neighbouring herds. You can download the full list of requirements below.  You will need to provide deeds to a holding that you own, or a leasing agreement if you're renting.

  If you fulfill the criteria, you need to fill in a form ER1, which you can find HERE  The form is very simple, and you just send it in to your local District Veterinary Officer... you'll find a list of them on the same link. You'll then get a visit from the inspector, which is very simple too, and after that they'll send you your number and books of movement papers with instructions.  You will need to fill in these papers if you move an animal off your holding, either to another farm or to the butcher... it's just a couple of lines.  

   And that's it.  It's free of charge too.  All added up, it's only about an hours work and you'll be free to relax and enjoy the company of your wonderful animals :)