This document was produced by MAFF as a specific response to the FMD outbreak in the UK in 2001 and was made available on their website. Risk Assessments and specific recommendations related to the conditions in the field at the time and should be viewed in this context as they may not be applicable to outbreaks occuring under different circumstances.
Foot and mouth disease
14 May 2001

FMD: Silage and hay-making, and grassland management, during Foot and Mouth disease restrictions: guidance for farmers.

This document, and the attached table, summarises the restrictions on making, storage and movement of silage and hay, and offers guidance for farmers.

Non-infected farms

Farmers outside the 3 km Protection Zones round Infected Premises, who have not received a statutory notice (Form D), have no restrictions on cutting, harvesting and storing silage or hay. This is the case even in Infected Areas. You can use your own equipment, or employ a contractor.

However it is in the interests of all farmers to take simple biosecurity measures: minimise visitors and require them to arrange visits in advance; ensure all vehicles and equipment, and the clothing of all personnel entering the premises, are clean; keep visitors away from livestock and keep a visitor diary so that movements can be traced.

After silage is harvested there may be opportunity to apply slurry to aftermaths, and this may be an attractive option where stores are full due to wet weather over winter/ spring. There are some restrictions on movement and spreading of manures in Infected Areas - see table.

Farmers in Protection Zones, or elsewhere if served with a Form D, can make silage or hay on your own premises, using your own equipment. The only restriction is that a licence is required from the Divisional Veterinary Manager (DVM) if the crop is transported by road. Alternatively you can use a contractor, subject to licence, and to vehicles being washed and disinfected on arrival and departure.

Infected or 'Form A' farms

Grass on farms where all livestock have been slaughtered can be cut and harvested for silage or hay, provided it has not been grazed for at least five weeks.

If you intend to re-stock you will wish to conserve forage on your own premises, although you may not have had the opportunity to apply fertiliser this spring so crops may be much lighter than usual. Risk of spreading any residual infection from farm buildings can be minimised by making hay or big-bale silage and storing in-field. Field heaps of silage can also be made, although risk of pollution will make many field sites unsuitable, and approval must be sought from the Environment Agency at least 14 days in advance.

But many farmers, particularly dairy producers, will have feeding systems designed around clamp silage. In consultation with the MAFF veterinary inspector it may be possible to obtain a licence from the Divisional Veterinary Manager (DVM) to ensile in clamps at the farm buildings, if these, and any yards and roads to be used, have been fully disinfected and cleansed. Using contractors' or other machinery from off-farm is possible, again subject to DVM approval.

For those who do not intend to re-stock, either partly or fully, leaving grass uncut and ungrazed is not advisable since it will result in sward deterioration. One option is to conserve forage to sell - lighter crops should be relatively easy to make into hay . Alternatively, subject to DVM licence, some or all of the grass could be sold as a standing crop if there is local demand. Failing this, the sward should be kept topped. This will retain nutrients, and should maintain sward density provided the toppings do not smother the sward beneath, so the decision to top should be taken before a large crop has accumulated. Cutting on a dry day with a machine which bruises or macerates the herbage will help toppings to dry and fall through the stubble.