The wet weather in the last week to 10 days has brought about tough and deteriorating ground conditions. As a result of this, the spotlight is coming back on the Clean Livestock Policy.

Sheep that have dirty/soiled fleeces are in danger of not meeting the Clean Livestock Policy (CLP) regulations that were implemented in 2016 by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

The CLP for sheep was introduced in 2016 and it’s a three-category system. Under the policy, sheep are classified as being satisfactory (Category A), acceptable (Category B) or unacceptable (Category C).

The purpose of the policy is to improve performance in relation to the cleanliness of incoming sheep to DAFM-approved slaughter plants, in order to prevent carcass contamination.

Category A

Category B

Category C

To help reduce the risk of sheep falling into the latter category – Category C – the DAFM offers farmers the following advice: