- Is there a written contract in place?
- Note: having a written contract helps to provide evidence of the key terms of the agreement.
- Will you have an opportunity to seek legal advice to review any contract to ensure it is suitable for your business before signing and/or will there be a cooling off period to allow for this?
- Who will possess and have responsibility for the calves鈥� passports?
- Note: It鈥檚 important to be mindful of legal obligations for keeping passports and when they must be made available to inspectors.
- Whose responsibility will it be to correct any passports with incorrect information recorded?
- Note: It is worth checking the passports match the calves delivered as soon as possible e.g. by checking the tag numbers/sex/breed of the calves
- Who will own the calves and who will be the registered keeper?
- Who will be the person responsible for the calves鈥� health, welfare and performance?
- Will you be allowed to move calves off your County Parish Holding (CPH) to Temporary Land Associations (TLAs) or temporary CPHs (tCPHs)? Will you need to inform the integrator of such movements?
- Note: Some integrated schemes prefer minimal movements so it鈥檚 important to be aware of any restrictions in place.
- Will the calves come straight from a dairy farmer or a contract rearer?
- Will you have the opportunity to view the calves before purchase/contract signing?
- Will you have enough time in your tenancy to finish the animals? What will happen if you are given notice on your tenancy?
- Will the calves be fitted with certain ear tags, including management tags, and are you expected to read them electronically with the relevant technology/equipment e.g. eID LF or UHF?
- Will you be expected to inform the integrator of any farm inspections and their results e.g. EA, RPA, HSE, APHA etc?
- Would the integrator expect certain farm insurance cover? What would the potential financial implications be of this?
- Would you need to be farm assured? What would happen if there were non-conformances or advisories?
- Will you be permitted to keep your dairy-beef calves amongst other stock on the holding or will they have to be kept separate?
- Note: Some integrators may require calves to be the only stock on the CPH. This is usually as a disease control measure.
- Will there be a commitment to take more calves or supply more beyond the first batch? If yes, what are the timings and number of calves?
- What will you need on farm as minimum equipment to carry out all management procedures e.g. handling facilities?
- How long will you have to notify the integrator of non-compliances with the terms of your contract and how is it rectified?
- How long will you have to notify the integrator of the arrival of calves which are either unwell or do not meet your expectations?
- Note: Sometimes there are time limits for notifying the integrator of issues with calves on arrival and failure to comply can result in a loss of opportunity to seek a remedy for these defects.
- Are you happy with the notice period given e.g. will it give you enough opportunity to check the animals and detect problems?
- Will you be expected to use a certain farm software package to record management data? Do you have the relevant computer hardware for this? Who is paying for the software subscription or any user training?
- Does the integrator want BCMS access?
Administration
This section of the NFU integrated dairy-beef contract business guide considers the administration of contracts, responsibility over passports and handling facilities. Keep reading for a full list of considerations.
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