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NEW ZEALAND HIGHLAND CATTLE SOCIETY Newsletter

January 2021

JANUARY • Annual Subscriptions due. Bank account: 15 3953 / 0511620 00 • Order Society and NAIT tags for Autumn (Calves) • Consider nominations for Council • Send items/notices for web alerts and news to: websupport@highlandcattle.org.nz

FEBRUARY • Bull Assessment – April Round. Contact Registrar to request a Bull Assessment Form or download a copy from the website. Cost $60. Send to: The Registrar, Cynthia Christie, 145 Somerton Rd, RD2, Ashburton, 7772. E: registrar@highlandcattle.org.nz LAST DAY 1 MARCH • Last day for acceptance of remits, 16th February 2021. Send to: Caroline Reddie, 573A Whakapirau Rd RD4, Maraekakaho, Hastings, 4174 • Send items/notices for web alerts and news to: websupport@highlandcattle.org.nz

MARCH • Return Bull Assessment requests with payment by 1 March • Fill out your Registration Forms for Spring/Summer calves and send to: The Registrar, Cynthia Christie, 145 Somerton Rd, RD2, Ashburton, 7772. E: registrar@highlandcattle.org.nz • Send items/notices for web alerts and news to: websupport@highlandcattle.org.nz • Remember to take calendar photos (at least 2MB) and submit newsletter/journal articles to: editor@highlandcattle.org.nz

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COUNCIL CORNER Rosalie Hutton, President The Council had its face-to-face meeting in Auckland on 20 October. The morning was used for day-to-day business and in the afternoon, we had our discussion about Appendix B. Doug Sheldon, Martin McLeod, Judy Smythe and Tony Wright have had two online meetings to start sorting out ways of using Appendix B. Appendix B is being discussed as a way to incorporate animals that have been purchased but were not previously eligible for registration in our society. The appendix will also increase our breeding base. The appendix will be for cows only. It is going to take time to make sure we get it right and we will give more detail in the March magazine. It is encouraging to see new members join. We have lost a few members recently due to age, or giving up their lifestyle blocks. Wishing you and your family a very happy New Year 2021.

PHOTO COMPETITION

FOLD PROFILES

In the ‘days of old’ every newsletter had a photo competition. Rosalie has said to me “Anne, bring that competition back”, the committee thought that was a great idea, so here’s the news folks, we are bringing back the photo competitions! Every Newsletter will advertise the theme for the next three months. We will have a guest judge pick a winner, and that photo will be published in the following newsletter. • Photos must be landscape and at least 2MB in size. • Your Highland Cattle must not be standing in a body of water in the photo • You can enter up to 5 submissions for each competition • By entering the competition you consent to your photo being used on our website, the NZHCS Facebook page, within the newsletter and entered into the pool for selection for the annual Calendar.

GREUMACH HIGHLANDS

JANUARY THEME: SUMMER FUN PRIZE: $100 voucher for a Rural Trading store of your choice, and a Cattle Comb – kindly sponsored by Martin McLeod Email your competition entries to editor@ highlandcattle.org.nz by Friday 12 March 2021.

Greumach Highlands, located in Whataroa on the South Island’s West Coast is in the fortunate position of the stunning backdrop of glaciers and mountains for any photo they take! Anya and Iain have had their fold, made up of one cow, four heifers and a bull calf, less than a year but admit they both love their hairy beasts! Anya tells me that Iain’s family is Scottish which is how they developed their love for the breed. They both felt that the rugged West Coast weather would work well with Highland Cattle. As typical cunning Highlanders, the young cattle have learnt that if they line up at the gate at feed time with the horses, they too can have a snack of grain! Anya and Iain also have a handful of dexter cattle, three horses, arapawa sheep, chickens and two Vizsla Conservation dogs. A highlight for Anya is seeing their fluffy calf do ‘Zoomies’ when moved to a new paddock. Greumach Highlands feel that they are constantly learning and hope to continue on with strengthening the genetics of the Highland Breed.

SEMEN FOR SALE The Society has been offered the opportunity to purchase some Highland Cattle semen that we can then offer to our members for a nominal charge. The committee is in the process of purchasing, organising storage of, and planning how we will sell to members. More details will be publicised shortly once the process is formalised. There is a wide variety of semen from many prized bulls within this collection so please keep this in mind for your AI needs in the coming year.

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LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS & SIGNAGE Have you given any thought to your legal liabilities lately? It seems that individuals, companies, AND FARMERS, are being held to account for things they have no idea they are responsible for. Farmers Mutual Group (FMG) Insurance has advised that many lifestyle block owners don’t realize that liability insurance is a really good idea. They cited an example of a client who removed pest plants, replanting them with natives. Although they felt they had engaged with local councils, they were charged under the Resource Management Act 1991, for not having the required resource consent. Legal costs came to $129 000. Again, if your livestock escape you could be liable for any damage they cause e.g. Stock escaping and causing road accidents or eating a neighbour’s garden or their crops.

listed a raft of hazards on their property which is next to the general hazards sign. While there is no need to go this far, it is a very good idea to write your own list of hazards, e.g. cows with calves can be very protective – no dogs permitted – farm machinery can be dangerous – do a bit of lateral thinking on this one – and have it available for any contractors who come on the farm, and then ask them to sign a book saying they have been informed of the hazards. Unfortunately, or fortunately as the case may be, there is always someone held accountable when things go wrong. Just make sure that you are in the clear when it comes to these things.

It is important to ask what would you do if something went wrong and you were sued by a third party (e.g. a neighbour), a government agency or local authority. How would you pay for this? General liability and statutory liability would be your backstop. General liability insurance covers accidental loss to others’ property or accidental bodily injury to others e.g. A tree falling onto a neighbour’s house, or a cattle beast injuring someone. Statutory liability insurance covers fines or penalties imposed by a government agency or local authority when you are prosecuted under various Acts including the Animal Welfare Act, 1999, Resource Management Act 1991, or Building Act 2004. Statutory Liability Insurance does not cover fines for health and safety breaches. Both covers include legal defence costs and exclude cover for reckless and intentional conduct. By ensuring fences, cattle stops and gates are secure to prevent animals escaping, and by placing signage warning of hazards you can minimise your risk. Hazard signs at the entrance of a property are a very good idea and are becoming more and more common. It can be helpful in cases where authorities are looking into any incident on a property. In most cases the signage is simple, and there are many standard signs that cover industrial and agricultural situations. Doug and Jenny Sheldon have gone further and

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SOCIALISING YOUR HIGHLAND CATTLE Cass Atkinson

Having Highland animals that are socialised makes life (yours and theirs) so much easier and more enjoyable. Socialising is different to halter training. It means “having an animal that is adaptable to many different people or situations” Socialising situations include: • Interacting with a different person i.e., not just the person who trained them. The “other person” could be a Vet, a Judge, their new owner, a friend/s of yours or a member of the public. • Having an animal in a yard area where they are relaxed and calm. The need for this situation could arise because they need to be seen by a vet, a TB Tester or an AI Technician. (Having an appropriate crush/cage/head bale is another story!)

SO HOW DO YOU “SOCIALISE” YOUR ANIMAL? At the Halter Training stage… • Let them meet as many other people as they can. Family, friends, neighbours, Woofers etc • Small children around these animals MUST be supervised. • Get them accustomed to dogs but NOT when they have a calf at foot • De-sensitise them with different noises such as the radio, bikes, tractors, scrub cutters, a hose (high pressure hoses make a loud noise!) • Take them for rides in the trailer. This is good practice for

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getting them used to getting on and off the trailer. Then you can take them to Cattle Shows or appropriate public events. Run them through the yards - for no reason, and or feed them in there so that being IN the yards is not seen as a BAD place. Normally “yards” to them means injections, ear tagging, or other painful treatment. Walk around them when you’ve feed out hay/silage Halter Training and Socialising do seem to go together but even if you DON’T Halter Train your Cattle at least get them used to feeling comfortable in the yard and around people. Major bribe…. FOOD! But only when it is safe to use this bribe. ie DON’T put one bowl of meal down in the yards with more than one animal.