Bristol Vet School seeks go-ahead for new college farm to be run by FAI
19th July 2007
Bristol University School of Veterinary Sciences is planning to build a new dairy farm on the A368 Bath Road. It is consulting local residents about its plans on July 5.
Dr Frank Taylor, Senior Lecturer in Equine Medicine and Head of the Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, explained: “New technology and the latest developments in farming mean that our Wyndhurst Farm at Langford can no longer offer the modern, hands-on facilities that tomorrow’s large-animal vets must be able to experience in training. This is unacceptable for one of Europe’s top veterinary schools.”
He added: “At the same time, we wish to play a full part in the sustainable farming initiatives that are developing in the South West. To this end, we need to change radically the way the farm is run both for teaching and research.”
Dr Taylor said the Veterinary School has reached an agreement in principle with FAI Farms Ltd, a commercial farming company which works hand-in-hand with Oxford University. Under the proposed arrangement FAI, will take over the day-to-day operation of the new Bristol Veterinary School farm, with the aim of transforming it into a fully commercial venture and a centre of European excellence.
“The reality is that our farm buildings at Wyndhurst Farm are beyond refurbishment, and we have a potential opportunity to lease land from Sir David Wills, adjacent to our own, which will allow us to develop new facilities to take Wyndhurst Farm forward,” added Dr Taylor.
“We are inviting local residents to come and see for themselves what we have in mind. We value their views and are keen to take them into account before we apply formally for planning permission,” he said.
People living near to Pear Tree Industrial Estate and Blagdon Water Gardens on the A368 Bath Road and the surrounding are invited to a meeting at 6.30 pm on July 19 at Langford House.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
The existing farm at Langford is more than 50 years old. Although it used to be up-to-date, it has declined over the past 10 years and the existing buildings are not suitable for installation of the sort of modern farming equipment that is in general use in the industry or which represents the future of dairy farming. This means that Bristol veterinary students are not able to gain practical experience of potential problems of modern livestock management. Also, the current dairy farming land is bisected by the A38, which gives great practical difficulties in managing the farm.
The entrance to the proposed new dairy unit is planned to be off the Bath Road between the existing industrial estate and the garden centre. The proposal sites the main buildings so that they have minimal visual impact when viewed either from the road or from adjacent properties. Sight lines will be enhanced by planting trees and establishing new hedgerows, replacing any that may need to be removed.
The herd will be built up to 200 cows, plus followers (young calves and heifers which are waiting to come into the milking herd) and will benefit from a state-of-the-art milking parlour which will contain a robotic milking unit. This lets the cows “milk themselves”, and allows the herdsman more time to check the health status of each individual animal as it comes through the parlour.
To minimise smells, both the dairy unit and the winter housing cubicles will be built over the top of an underground slurry lagoon, which will be ‘bunded’ or sealed to protect adjacent land from any accidental spillage or leakage into the water course, and largely containing smells. The slurry will be extracted periodically, weather and season permitting, and spread, as now, on the farm’s grassland to provide a natural fertiliser.
As well as the dairy unit - cow cubicles, milking accommodation, winter housing and feed stores which will all be at the rear of the site, with silage clamps in the adjacent field screened by woodland – we hope to build a farm manager’s cottage with a tied agricultural use, set towards the front of the site.
Although one field will be built on with the new farm unit, the proposal to create a new University farm will protect the adjacent land from further development and ensure a green landscape in the area for years to come.
Qs and As about the project
Why is the University applying for planning permission for a new farm?
The existing farm unit at Wyndhurst Farm is no longer viable either commercially or to meet the teaching needs of the University’s Veterinary School.
What’s wrong with the old one?
The farm is now more than 50 years old. Although it used to be up-to-date, it has deteriorated over the past 10 years and the existing buildings are not suitable for installation of modern farming equipment that is in general use in the industry or which represents the future of dairy farming. Our veterinary students are therefore less able to gain practical experience of potential problems of modern livestock management. In addition, our current dairy farming land is bisected by the A38, which creates practical difficulties in managing the farm and is positively dangerous in crossing the herd on a daily basis.
Why don’t you simply work with other farms in the area?
As a veterinary school, it is essential that we have our own facility for teaching and learning; using other herds can be quite disruptive for a wholly commercial operation, particularly when we are educating a relatively large number of veterinary students.
Where exactly is the farm going to be?
The entrance is planned to be off the Bath Road between Pear Tree Industrial Estate and Blagdon Water Gardens. The proposal sites the main buildings so that they have minimal visual impact when viewed either from the road or from adjacent properties. Sight lines will be enhanced by the planting of trees and establishing new hedgerows, replacing any that might need to removed.
What sort of farm is it going to be?
It will be a commercial diary enterprise, producing fresh milk from approximately 300 acres of grazing land.
Will it be the same size as Wyndhurst Farm?
No. Thanks to Sir David Wills we have the opportunity to rent additional grazing. This will enable us to accommodate the additional cows needed to make a dairy farm commercially viable in the 21st century.
By putting Sir David’s land together with the University land, sandwiched between the A38 and the A368, all the dairy cows will be accommodated within a single area and stock will not need to routinely cross the busy A38. The remaining University land will be used for raising youngstock and other animals.
How many cows will be milked there?
We plan to build up our herd to 200 cows, plus followers (young calves and heifers which are waiting to come into the milking herd).
What kind of equipment will you be using?
We plan a state-of-the-art milking parlour that will contain a robotic milking unit. This enables each cow to self-milk and allows the herdsman more time to check the health status of the stock.
Will it be noisy?
No more so than any ‘conventional’ dairy farm. In fact, as the cows milk themselves, they tend to walk to and from the milking machines in small groups. So rather than having large groups of cows being herded twice a day for milking, the whole activity on the farm is calmer. All the evidence is that this is much better for the welfare of the animals and the staff.
Does this mean you will be milking all night?
In theory the cows can access the milking machines 24 hours a day, but in reality they tend not to during the early hours of the morning. Again, it is worth noting that there are not mass movements of stock, in fact the whole ‘atmosphere’ of the farm, at least from a milking perspective, is much less frantic.
What about the smells?
The dairy unit and the winter housing cubicles will be built over the top of an underground slurry lagoon, which will be ‘bunded’ or sealed to protect adjacent land from any accidental spillage or leakage into the water course, and largely containing smells. The slurry will be extracted periodically, weather and season permitting, and spread, as now, on the farm’s grassland to provide a natural fertiliser.
What about light pollution?
Lights will be installed to reflect current Health and Safety requirements, but we don’t anticipate that this will add greatly to the light emitted from the current adjacent industrial estate.
What other buildings are there?
We plan a farm manager’s cottage set towards the front of the site, and screened from the dairy unit by trees. The cow cubicles, milking accommodation, winter housing and feed stores are all to be to the rear of the site and the silage clamps will be in the adjacent field, to the north of the new site, screened by woodland.
Won’t the buildings spoil the view from the roads?
No, we have positioned the buildings so that, with a little additional tree planting, they will be screened from the roads. The only visible building will be the proposed cottage for the farm manager, which will be a residential property with a tied agricultural use.
How much more traffic will there be?
There will be no more traffic than the current farm operation and in reality, with the majority of the land being sandwiched between the two roads, there will be less farm traffic on the main roads.
How many students will be visiting the site?
During term time (30 weeks a year) there will be about 125 student visits to the farm each week.
Will the cows still have to cross the road to be milked?
No – unlike our present farm where the cows have to cross the main A38 trunk road, sometimes twice a day, the cows will be able to walk down through the fields and cross the stream via a purpose-built bridge to reach the milking parlour. They will not come near any roads – which, of course, also means that there will then be no contamination of road surfaces with cowpats or mud.
What working hours will you be operating?
The hours will be similar to current operations, but without the need for specific milking times. This does mean that the farm staff can carry out their other tasks in more ‘normal’ working hours.
How many people will be employed on the site – and is that more or fewer than are currently employed at Wyndhurst Farm?
We will have a resident farm manager and an assistant. The farm will continue to use local agricultural contractors for many of the farm operations.
There’s a stream in that field – what about the impact on the water courses?
The stream is protected by the ‘bunded’ or sealed slurry lagoon built underneath the main building, so there will be minimal risk of spillage or leaks.
Will there be any impact on the footpath which follows the west side of that field and then follows the stream?
We don’t envisage any alterations to the route of the footpath. Where it crosses any cow tracks, we will install styles or gates.
What about the impact on the environment generally?
Although the new farm unit will be sited in one field, the proposal to create a new University farm will protect the adjacent land from further development and ensure a green landscape in the area for years to come.
How long will it take to build?
If we are granted planning permission in early autumn 2007, we shall start to plan for building work to begin in spring 2008, with six months of activity before the unit opens in September 2008.
What’s going to happen to Wyndhurst Farm?
There are no immediate plans for Wyndhurst Farm other than to decommission the diary facilities. We expect to use some of the buildings for stock housing, but like many established farms, its agricultural uses are limited.
THURSDAY 29th JULY - FAI have invited the residents of Wytham village to an informal evening event starting at 7.30pm to view plans for the proposed upgrade to FAI’s Education Centre. Any members of the public who are interested in seeing the proposed plans are welcome to attend.
