Major Developments at Wellow Alpaca Farm
West Wight Alpacas held an open hour for local residents last Saturday. A member of the public recorded the meeting and it is available for public listening https://ia601503.us.archive.org/8/items/wwa-consultation/wwa-consultation.mp3
Among plans announced were their plan to build a house (despite having only temporary planning consent for their caravans), a liquor license, opening till late at night year-round, a conservatory to turn their café into a proper licensed restaurant, camels (under a zoo license and Dangerous Wild Animals License), 'Shepherds' Huts', a kind of posh camping, presumably with showers, toilets, access, parking, etc. They are planning to sell their land opposite the Baptist Chapel/Mattingley Farm after applying for a large vehicular entrance. The company is expecting to get more than the agricultural value for the land which, they say, has development potential as a housing estate. When asked what steps they were taking to mitigate the effect on the local community, we were told, in essence, that life moves forward and we mustn't stand in the way of their financial progress. The owners confirmed that they have no long-term plan to remain in our community but they plan to sell up and move 'somewhere warmer maybe the South of France' when they have enough money from the sale of the land in Wellow presumably.
Meanwhile, a herd of rheas has arrived at the alpaca farm. Rheas belong to a family called 'ratites' which includes ostriches, rheas and emus. Residents might like to read the rules about the keeping of rheas because, amongst other facts, it states:-
http://www.coe.int/t/e/legal_affairs/legal_co-operation/biological_safety_and_use_of_animals/farming/rec%20ratites%20e.asp#P51_814
http://tinyurl.com/ratites
The fences should have a minimum height of 1,50 m for young rheas (4-5 months) and 170 cm for adults.
Ratite farming should not be undertaken lightly and
that anyone farming them has to be certain that they are able and
willing to devote the finance and time needed to ensure the birds'
health and welfare;
The current high morbidity and mortality in many
ratites sites compared with domesticated farm animal species and
considering the fact that ratites, as not domesticated but still
principally wild animals, are extremely susceptible to stress,
prevention of stress in the animals by fulfilling their natural health
and behaviour requirements is of the utmost importance;
Aware that the basic requirements for the health and welfare of
livestock consist of good stockmanship, husbandry systems appropriate to
the biological needs of the animals, and suitable environmental
factors, so that the conditions under which ratites are kept fulfil the
need for appropriate nutrition and methods of feeding, freedom of
movement, physical comfort, the need to perform normal behaviour and the
need for protection against adverse climatic conditions, attack by
predators, injury, infestation and disease or behavioural disorder, as
well as other essential needs as may be identified by established
experience or scientific knowledge;
Concerned by the fact that the scientific knowledge and practical
experience of keeping ratites under European conditions are limited and
that therefore there is a great risk that producers attempt to
introduce husbandry methods which are not suitable for the health and
welfare of ratites;
Bearing in mind that the environment and management have to
fulfil the animal's biological needs rather than trying to "adapt" the
animals to the environment by procedures such as mutilations;
1. Those who handle ratites must be familiar with their behaviour and
be competent in their handling and management. They must be aware of
the signs of disease or stress. This competence shall be assessed by a
body in accordance with national legislation.
2. Prior to birds' arrival on a newly established farm a
substantial period of training including practical experience is
necessary for those who will handle ratites. Training shall include
items listed in Appendix 1. Continued training is considered essential.
3. The possibility of official authorisation should be considered prior to setting up a farm for ratites.
Warning notices about the danger to birds of disturbance or of
objects thrown into the enclosure and the danger to people who might
enter the enclosure shall be placed in prominent places outside the
enclosures.
The next Shalfleet Parish Council Meeting will be held at the Wellow Institute, at 7.15pm on Wednesday 14th October 2015.
I have embedded the agenda at the bottom of this post. The only items I can see that are a little out of the routine are:
Shalfleet Service Station. This site has caused concern to many local residents. I strongly suggest that those who have strong views either way should attend the Parish Council Meeting and voice their views. It DOES work. If people turn up to express their point of view councillors are influenced -- and quite rightly so, in a democracy!
Applications for grant funds from the Parish precept. In this time of cuts it's understandable that local voluntary organisations will try to raise funds from any available source including the Parish Council. The councillors need to look very carefully at where the precept is being spent. What is happening by stealth is that the ratepayer will be paying, via the un-capped Parish precept for things the County Council can't afford (the CC cannot raise rates by more than 2% without a referendum). That's fine as long as that's what the Parishioners want because it's the Parishioners who will be paying, not the councillors!
New information board outside the Horse and Groom. Physical information boards are becoming rather pointless for most people. We don't know when a notice is posted and few people would want to stop on that dangerous stretch of road just to read the information. Is it a good spend of Parish money? If there are funds available, how about a Parish e-mailing list to inform Parishioners immediately new information becomes available, or extraordinary meetings have been called. MailChimp is one of several commercial platforms. MC is free for very small lists such as this blog's list but unlimited for larger organisations. IWALC might be able to advise?
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