Volume 12: Livestock Farming
1. Introduction

1.1 At the time BSE emerged, around 1986, beef and dairy farming was the largest sector of UK agriculture, involving just under half of farm holdings. The output of milk, fattened cattle and calves contributed £4.3 billion - nearly 36 per cent - to the total value of agricultural output. ¹ Beef and dairy products met most of the needs of the domestic market, and exports of beef were worth some £284 million. ² Cattle farming and its contribution to the economy were directly threatened by the emergence of BSE.

1.2 This volume examines livestock farming in general, and cattle farming in particular, to the extent necessary to provide relevant background to the BSE story. It looks at economics, farming practice, animal health and welfare and, finally, at events during the BSE epidemic and their effect on the cattle farmer.

1.3 The volume looks at livestock farming in the UK as a whole. However, vol. 9: Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland provides further details on certain aspects of livestock farming in these countries, particularly where they differ from the general UK picture. Industries other than agriculture that depended on beef and dairy farming are discussed in vol. 13: Industry, Processes and Controls.

1.4 Chapter 2 gives a brief history and overview of the agricultural sector and the contribution of the beef and dairy farming industry. It describes the Government's influence on the agricultural economy, as well as the influence of European Union (EU) membership on beef and dairy farming.

1.5 The development of markets for cattle products in the UK and overseas wasa predominant concern of the Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC) and Milk Marketing Boards. Chapter 3 describes the functions and activities of the Boards and the MLC in relation to livestock farming. It considers how the links from farmers to retailers have strengthened since the mid-1980s and, in particular, how the influence of supermarkets on the beef market has grown.

1.6 Cattle movement contributed to the geographical spread of BSE from southto north. Chapter 4 looks at the size and geographical distribution of UK cattle holdings, as well as the sources of beef, in particular, the dairy herd. The interrelationship between the beef and dairy sectors, the movement of cattle both within and between those sectors, and how such movements were recorded throughout the country are also examined.

1.7 The emergence of BSE raised questions of whether the disease was attributable to modern breeding programmes and techniques, and what impact BSE should have on these. Chapter 5 looks at the cattle breeding techniques used by farmers, including natural and hormone-assisted mating, artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer, and how breeding policies over the last 50 years have led to the dominance of the high-yielding Friesian breed in the national dairy herd.

1.8 Cattle rearing and feeding are reviewed in Chapter 6, and differences between these practices for dairy and beef cattle are identified. Measures to combat BSE have been based on the premise that meat and bone meal (MBM) derived from ruminant carcasses and included in cattle feed was the means by which the disease spread. Many people have voiced concerns about the use of MBM and other 'unnatural' feeding practices on ethical grounds, and because it may provide an open pathway for dangerous pathogens. On-farm handling practices may have continued to expose some cattle to the BSE agent after the ruminant feed ban, particularly on mixed livestock farms. The chapter looks at how feeding requirements depend in part on the genetic makeup of the particular cattle breed, and how this, in turn, is a result of breeding practices over many decades, designed to meet the public's continuing demand for cheaper food. It examines trends in cattle diet and how feedstuffs are purchased, mixed, stored and used on farm.

1.9 The effectiveness of communication channels to farmers influences how quickly they find out about new diseases and any necessary control measures. Chapter 7 looks at sources of expertise and advice for farmers and methods of communicating information to them, particularly about new diseases and obligations under new legislation. The Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ADAS) traditionally played a key role in this in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland had separate arrangements (see vol. 9: Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland).

1.10 The symptoms of BSE resemble those of some other diseases familiar to cattle farmers, particularly the metabolic disorder hypomagnesaemia. Indeed, the earliest cases of BSE may have been wrongly diagnosed as chronic hypomagnesaemia (ie, cases that did not respond to treatment). Chapter 8 reviews the diseases cattle farmers might have been expected to encounter at the time; their knowledge of diseases and symptoms; how they dealt with them, including the veterinary medicines in routine use; and the use they made of veterinary assistance. Finally,it discusses the disposal of fallen stock and other animal waste to avoid disease.

1.11 The UK has substantial experience of responding to disease epidemics and of implementing national eradication programmes. Chapter 9 describes examples of previous disease epidemics and eradication programmes in the UK.

1.12 It has been suggested to the Inquiry that organic farms suffered less from BSE than conventional farms. Chapter 10 looks at organic farming and highlights how it differs from conventional farming in relation to livestock feeding and medication regimes. The number of cases of BSE in cattle on organic farms is discussed.

1.13 Chapter 11 examines aspects of sheep, pig and poultry production, explaining the circumstances in which feed for cattle was open to contamination from feed for other livestock.

1.14 Finally, Chapter 12 summarises, in a table, the main events in the BSE epidemic and their effect on farmers.

1.15 Table 1.1 below describes terms commonly applied to cattle production in the UK and which are used throughout this volume. The Glossary at the end of this volume describes terms of a more general nature used in the volume.

Table 1.1: Cattle herd terminology

Term	Meaning
Cow	A female that has had one or more calves.
Heifer	A female yet to calve.
Dairy cow	A cow that is kept mainly for producing milk or rearing calves for the dairy herd.
Dam	Mother of a calf.
Suckler or beef cow	A cow kept mainly for producing and rearing calves for the beef herd.
Suckler calf	The offspring of a suckler cow.
Cull cow	A cow that has been removed from the dairy herd or beef breeding herd to be sentto slaughter.
Replacements	Cattle bred on farm to replace culled breeding stock.
Steers or bullocks	Male calves that are raised for beef production and usually castrated at 6 to 12 weeks.
Young bulls	Male calves that have not been castrated.
Store cattle	Young beef cattle being kept on a low maintenance diet over the winter months in preparation for finishing in summer.
Finishing or fattening	The final stage of beef production on farm, involving appropriate feeding of cattle to produce good quality beef animals for slaughter.