Shipping cattle and sheep to the Mart in Kirkwall is something of a challenge. Co-ordination is required between ferry company, hauliers and the Mart in Kirkwall. Usually livestock has to be kept overnight at the Mart, so is shipped from Graemsay at least a day before the sales. Cattle and sheep are transported or walked to the pier and put in pens erected along the pier. Cattle are loaded individually into a crate which is then winched via the normal Graemsay ferry crane onto the deck and the animal let out into another pen. Once all the cattle are on board they are taken back to Stromness, sometimes they are winched off singly again at the STromness pier, but more often now the boat goes to the Hamnavoe ramp and the cattle are driven off into the back of a livestock transporter lorry which then takes them to the mart where they are sold in the weekly sales. . Depending on size, four or five sheep can be loaded into the same crate, and then the process is the same. Sometimes, weather permitting, the sheep can be herded down a ramp onto the boat but this doesn't seem to be done very often. And yes animals escape. As you can imagine it's often very distressing for the animal to be even ON the pier with the waves, water etc. never mind being herded into a crate. Last year I saw three sheep jump off the pier, they were all rescued with boat hooks. Again last year a cow jumped off and started swimming out into the Sound until the Ferry herded it back towards the shore, it ran up the road back to the farm. It sounds pretty inhumane and I must admit to not liking being around when it all happens. There are various EU regulations regarding moving of livestock etc in terms of animal welfare, but Orkney has some exemptions as it is just impossible on islands like Graemsay, North Ronaldsay and possibly Papa Westray, where there is no option due to lack of Ro-Ro ferry. Some animals from Graemsay are sold for immediate slaughter and others are sold as "stores" to be bought as young stock and "finished off" - that is grazed on another farm before being sold for slaughter. Incidentally if people have to be medically evacuated on a stretcher they too are put into the cattle crate and winched on and off the boat! But usually not at the same time as the kye! Sian ----- Original Message ----- From: "Royce Perry" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 7:32 PM Subject: Re: [ORCADIA] Graemsay Economy > Well the low res satellite images that Google/MS use for Orkney barely > shows > a blurry impression of the topography,,,never mind hay bales,,even the big > round ones. > I would have guessed that livestock would be the main activity. Actually > sounds like more than I would have thought. Which brings up an interesting > question, how do they get their critters to market? The little ferry > doesn't > look up to hauling a bunch of calves and sheep over to Mainland. Or do > they > send them someplace other than Mainland? Maybe across the Firth to > Scotland? > It's surprising the difference between places sometimes. You raise neaps > for > animal forage and the humans eat the left over bottoms? Over here we eat > both ends. Nothing better than a big bait of turnip greens!! Our friends > if > the Highlands sent a video clip once of her and their son out in the "back > garden" harvesting the neeps. They were cutting off the tops and tossing > them in the composite pile. Don't know which of us was more surprised, > them > at the idea that humans eat the tops, or me at the notion that the tops > were > only good for livestock...<G> > R > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] > On > Behalf Of Sian Thomas > Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 3:35 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [ORCADIA] Graemsay Economy > > If it's a recent picture you would see hundreds of black and green round > silage bales! Half the island is owned by one farmer, who keeps about 120 > head of cattle plus "followers" - calves. His herd is all home bred, 3 > bulls being bought in over the years. He also has about 150 sheep plus > lambs. Three other crofters keep about 10 head of cattle each, plus about > 100 lambs. And another so called "hobby farmer" has about 50 sheep. All > farmers will have some fields which they will cut for winter feed (silage > and hay), and will have fields of "neaps" again for winter feed. A small > field of oats may be grown, but generally no arable crops. > > Due to various Government schemes there are also areas of "set aside" > where > farmers are paid to plant trees and just leave the land. And there are > still some large tracts of natural heathland, very ancient. But the > majority of this is owned by the crofters and may in time be fenced in and > grazed. > > Several others (myself included) have a few acres attached to the house. > I > have a 3 acre field behind my house, leading to the shore. I wanted to > make > > certain no one could build and obscure the stunning view from my > conservatory! I allow a neighbouring farmer to use it for summer grazing > in > > return for delivering my oil (for central heating) and petrol cans, plus a > myriad of other jobs he does for me. I like seeing livestock out of the > window but without the hassle of needing to do anything, apart from phone > the farmer if anything is in trouble or looks sick. I have learned various > bits of useful information - if a cows ears are horizontal all the time, > it > ain't feeling well......! > > Crofting tends to be subsistence living, so additional employment is > needed. > > One crofter is also the harbour master, cleans the waiting room, mows the > grass at the kirkyard and collects the refuse. He is also the local > supplier of calor gas. Another is also the postman, another runs the post > office, while her husband works offshore on a supply ship for the oil rigs > off shetland. I work from home full time as a medical researcher employed > by various Universities throughout the UK. The rest of the folk on the > island are either retired or at home raising the kids and working on the > farm. > > Incidentally the kids go across to Stromness to school. Under the age of > 14 > > they have a "minder" employed by the local authority to sit with them on > the > > boat and deliver them/collect them from school. One child aged 3 goes > over > to Stromness to Nursery twice a week. If the weather is very bad they > stay at home, otherwise they journey on the ferry each day from the age of > 5. > > Sian > > > _______________________________________ > Orcadia Group Photo Album > http://tinyurl.com/28bx9x > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >