National Procedures and Guidelines for Intensive Sheep and Lamb Feeding Systems

Edition 1 of the National Procedures and Guidelines was published in October 2010.

A summary of changes made in Edition 2 (June 2011) is as follows:

1. Section 1.1 – approval process – additional information was added to the guidelines to recommend that for shedded operations ‘local council should be consulted early in the development process to determine regulations for these operations as commercial requirements may apply demanding significant works and/or expense’.

2. Section 4.7 – stocking density in sheds – a sentence was added to emphasise that the table outlines the minimum area per lamb and that greater area may be necessary to improve lamb productivity.
   ‘Table 4-1 below shows the current recommended minimum area per lamb for different numbers of lambs per pen in intensive shed finishing systems. Anecdotal evidence suggests greater area may be required to optimise lamb growth and performance.’

3. Section 5.1 – shedded operations – a guideline was added to highlight the need to consider the orientation of the shed to account for extremes of temperature during the normal operation of the system. This guideline has not been prescriptive in the ideal orientation as this may vary depending on normal time of operation and geographic location of the shed.
   ‘Shed orientation should account for potential extremes of temperature that may be encountered during the operation of the facility.’

4. Section 5.1 – shedded operations – to highlight the necessity of controlling pests such as birds in shedded operations, specific reference to birds (and rodents) has been added.
   ‘Pests such as birds and rodents should be controlled within sheds.’

5. Section 5.1 – shedded operations – guideline added to highlight the need for efficient and safe loading facilities for sheds.
   ‘Loading facilities should be designed to efficiently and safely move sheep into and out of the shed.’

6. Section 9.1 – feed and water – recommendation added that gloves be worn when cleaning feed and water troughs to reduce the risk of disease transmission. This addition is in response to feedback from one trial participant who experienced a scabby mouth infection after cleaning a water trough without gloves. Their hand had a small cut at the time which allowed the virus to enter and caused significant discomfort and swelling of the hand and shoulder.

7. Additional information recommending that where necessary the movement of stock is updated on the NLIS database has been added to multiple sections in the document.

8. Planning and management checklists – a review tool for producers has been added as a supplement.