Livestock rules?
Jan 12th 2016, 10:14 pm
#1
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Livestock rules?
Anyone on here familiar with the rules surrounding the keeping of livestock as far as the Hungarian equivalent of DEFRA is concerned. Things like tagging, movement restrictions, holding numbers etc. Or know who to contact to find these things out. Will be looking at raising a pair of weaners and keeping a couple of ewes for lambs each year. I have no wish to fall foul of the law!
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
Jan 13th 2016, 5:45 pm
#2
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Re: Livestock rules?
It depends what you are going to do with the livestock and products thereof.
Movement restrictions will be variable, depending upon and infectious / contagious diseases in the area, your local vet will know. (actually the local vet is the go to person for livestock bureaucracy)
If you are going to breed then you need to be registered (local Vet). If you are going to sell (or give away) any for the products then the animals have to be inspected, which means having them slaughtered in a slaughter house which means the animals will need ear tags, which means they have to come from a registered breeder. And you have to have the correct paperwork to allow you to sell the processed meat products.
If you are keeping the livestock for your own consumption then you can home slaughter but the products will be for your own households' consumption. If you have a guest you can eat the leg of lamb but you have to give the guest sardines on toast or something. (at least that's what the rules say!)
If you are going to free range the pigs and do a home slaughter from which you make any smoked products (that is cold smoked uncooked, like Hungarian sausages) then ask the local vet about testing (post-mortem) for Trichinosis. Pigs kept in a sty probably not a problem.
Ear tags are usually only put on breeding animals or on those on large holdings. If you buy a couple of weaners from the local chap who 'does' pigs for slaughter in the winter then in all probability there will be no ear tags or paperwork. (Home slaughter and processing of the 'cottagers pig' has been accepted by the EU as a Hungarian tradition. Ditto sheep. A couple of lambs brought in the spring for slaughter in the autumn probably will also be devoid of officialdom.
Sheep will be an expensive exercise to keep over winter unless you can make your own hay. you also have to be careful about stocking levels as it is easy to run out of grass in August when there has been no rain for 6 weeks.
In all cases animal welfare has to be observed with regard to housing and slaughtering. Captive bolt guns are fairly cheap and unlicensed if you are doing your own slaughtering. If you are going to free range the pigs then shade must be provided as they get sunburn and you will probably have to confine them to shade around midday as they won't go in by themselves.
When it comes to slaughtering the sheep, Hungarian butchers do not know about Scottish (or English) cuts of lamb. It all gets chopped up for stew! So do it yourself or be prepared for a battle. Pigs are different. Half the men in the village will know about traditional pigs kills and their wives will know what to cook and when throughout the pig kill day. And of naturally each will have THE best recipe for sausage!
Bottom line - if you buy a weaner or 2 for slaughter in the winter and a couple of spring lambs for lawn mowers and slaughter in the autumn then providing you are reasonable and you have no vindictive neighbours then most Hungarians will get on with it and do it without paper work - but don't sell it.
How much land do you have? and do you have any experience of keeping livestock?
Movement restrictions will be variable, depending upon and infectious / contagious diseases in the area, your local vet will know. (actually the local vet is the go to person for livestock bureaucracy)
If you are going to breed then you need to be registered (local Vet). If you are going to sell (or give away) any for the products then the animals have to be inspected, which means having them slaughtered in a slaughter house which means the animals will need ear tags, which means they have to come from a registered breeder. And you have to have the correct paperwork to allow you to sell the processed meat products.
If you are keeping the livestock for your own consumption then you can home slaughter but the products will be for your own households' consumption. If you have a guest you can eat the leg of lamb but you have to give the guest sardines on toast or something. (at least that's what the rules say!)
If you are going to free range the pigs and do a home slaughter from which you make any smoked products (that is cold smoked uncooked, like Hungarian sausages) then ask the local vet about testing (post-mortem) for Trichinosis. Pigs kept in a sty probably not a problem.
Ear tags are usually only put on breeding animals or on those on large holdings. If you buy a couple of weaners from the local chap who 'does' pigs for slaughter in the winter then in all probability there will be no ear tags or paperwork. (Home slaughter and processing of the 'cottagers pig' has been accepted by the EU as a Hungarian tradition. Ditto sheep. A couple of lambs brought in the spring for slaughter in the autumn probably will also be devoid of officialdom.
Sheep will be an expensive exercise to keep over winter unless you can make your own hay. you also have to be careful about stocking levels as it is easy to run out of grass in August when there has been no rain for 6 weeks.
In all cases animal welfare has to be observed with regard to housing and slaughtering. Captive bolt guns are fairly cheap and unlicensed if you are doing your own slaughtering. If you are going to free range the pigs then shade must be provided as they get sunburn and you will probably have to confine them to shade around midday as they won't go in by themselves.
When it comes to slaughtering the sheep, Hungarian butchers do not know about Scottish (or English) cuts of lamb. It all gets chopped up for stew! So do it yourself or be prepared for a battle. Pigs are different. Half the men in the village will know about traditional pigs kills and their wives will know what to cook and when throughout the pig kill day. And of naturally each will have THE best recipe for sausage!
Bottom line - if you buy a weaner or 2 for slaughter in the winter and a couple of spring lambs for lawn mowers and slaughter in the autumn then providing you are reasonable and you have no vindictive neighbours then most Hungarians will get on with it and do it without paper work - but don't sell it.
How much land do you have? and do you have any experience of keeping livestock?
Jan 13th 2016, 6:52 pm
#3
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Location: Shetland Islands
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Re: Livestock rules?
Plenty of sheep keeping, and lamb carcass butchering background, but pigs will be new for keeping but only planning on a pair of weaners for winter meat, grown to a size that will accommodate pork joints and ham/bacon making equally well. I'm sure that the locals will be able to assist with recipes for the bits we are unfamiliar with using/cooking. Haven't had chitterlings for years!
Comfortable with the idea of home-kill but would probably enlist the help of a couple of friendly locals the first time round at least to make sure it is done right.
May think about 2 or 3 Racka ewes in later years once our feet are under the table.
The weaners will be sty kept and used to turn over the virgin ground of planned veg plots and in later years as the clean-up crew in root crop beds.
As for holding size, it will only be approx. 1 acre so keeping numbers or over-wintering is not really practical.
Comfortable with the idea of home-kill but would probably enlist the help of a couple of friendly locals the first time round at least to make sure it is done right.
May think about 2 or 3 Racka ewes in later years once our feet are under the table.
The weaners will be sty kept and used to turn over the virgin ground of planned veg plots and in later years as the clean-up crew in root crop beds.
As for holding size, it will only be approx. 1 acre so keeping numbers or over-wintering is not really practical.
Jan 14th 2016, 11:34 am
#4
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Posts: 2,097
Re: Livestock rules?
I think with about 1 acre you will struggle to support 2 or 3 Racka ewes, especially if you will be using part of the land for kitchen garden/pig food. Keep an eye on the grass growth during July and August when rain can be as low as nothing. A couple of times in the last few years I have had to feed hay to the cows in August because no rain = no grass and late summer grazing is always a juggling game between the pastures.
Its a good idea to enlist the help of the locals to help with the pig kill and I would suggest asking any who do their own pig(s) if you can help so that you can get an idea before you 'invite' them to yours.
Pig kills typically happen in the early winter up to Christmas. Our local Tesco has various bits of equipment that are needed for pig processing, gas torches for burning off the hair, various sizes of pans and large ladles, meat boxes and sausage fillers. They also sell sausage skins. Prices and quality are about the same as you get on-line. Unfortunately the items are in the store now, when most people have done their processing. (I think it's because they want the shelf space for Christmas items). Still it's a convenient place to get the equipment.
Its a good idea to enlist the help of the locals to help with the pig kill and I would suggest asking any who do their own pig(s) if you can help so that you can get an idea before you 'invite' them to yours.
Pig kills typically happen in the early winter up to Christmas. Our local Tesco has various bits of equipment that are needed for pig processing, gas torches for burning off the hair, various sizes of pans and large ladles, meat boxes and sausage fillers. They also sell sausage skins. Prices and quality are about the same as you get on-line. Unfortunately the items are in the store now, when most people have done their processing. (I think it's because they want the shelf space for Christmas items). Still it's a convenient place to get the equipment.
Jan 14th 2016, 8:38 pm
#5
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Re: Livestock rules?
Thanks for the useful info on where to source the necessary items for processing the pig, handy to know.
Really happy to pitch in with the neighbours on their own various 'pig days', many hand make light work etc. Always lots of work with a big pig. Also helps with integration into village life and getting to know people.
Hoping to source an extra bit of land after settling but after a few years it will only be the 2 of us and occasional family visitors, so not exactly needing to feed the 5000! :-D
Really happy to pitch in with the neighbours on their own various 'pig days', many hand make light work etc. Always lots of work with a big pig. Also helps with integration into village life and getting to know people.
Hoping to source an extra bit of land after settling but after a few years it will only be the 2 of us and occasional family visitors, so not exactly needing to feed the 5000! :-D
