The changes that farmers have to make when making the conversion to organic farming have been well documented in recent times, particularly so regarding drystock farmers.
However, at the Teagasc National Lowland Sheep Conference at The Hillgrove Hotel in Co. Monaghan on Tuesday (January 24), Elaine Leavy, a Teagasc Organic Specialist, spoke about the changes to housing facilities that are required for organic sheep housing.
She said: “First off, it is not mandatory to have sheep housing in organics. Sheep can be outwintered.
“However, if they are to be housed, for instance ewes being housed coming up to lambing, there is more space required.
“In terms of space requirements, the total space required per ewe is 1.5m² [minimum] with an additional 0.35m²/lamb.
“Ewes must be provided with a bedded solid-floor area, as you can’t have sheep in a fully slatted area. 50% of the total area can be slatted so half of that 1.5m²/ewe can be slatted when you break it down that way.
“Plenty of straw should be provided to keep the lying area for the ewes dry at all times. Conventional straw may be used for bedding as there isn’t enough availability of organic straw that can be used.”
Cattle
In terms of cattle and housing for organics, greater space allowance is also required.
According to Teagasc, the rule of thumb for cattle is that 1.0m² is required for very 100kg liveweight.
Furthermore, cattle, similar to sheep, must have access to a dry bedded area, i.e. with straw. Up to 50% of this area can be slatted; the rest can consist of a solid floor.