Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

Animal welfare Meeting the welfare requirements of grazing livestock is essential.
The GAP Handbook includes more information on this subject
http://www.grazinganimalsproject.org.uk/. Until stock are familiar
with grazing any wetland area, the frequency of checking their
welfare should be high, to ensure animals adjust to the site
conditions and any associated risks. Frequency of checking once
animals are familiar with the site should be determined through a
risk assessment process, informed by specific site conditions and
the animals being used.
6.2.3 Different types of grazing livestock
Different types of livestock, and different breeds, all have different grazing habits
and preferences. Some are more capable of surviving harsh environmental
conditions, whilst others are best suited to grazing particular types of fen
vegetation, or achieving specific objectives. The grazing habits of various types
and breeds of animal in the Broads are described by Tolhurst (1997). General
guidance on selecting appropriate stock can be found at GAP – The Breed Profiles
Handbook: A Guide to the Selection of Livestock Breeds for Grazing Wildlife
Sites). The following notes are offered as a brief overview.
Cattle are ideal for removing long, coarse grass and sedge growth. Using their
tongues to pull tufts of vegetation into their mouth, they are less selective grazers
than either horses or sheep which both use their front teeth to nibble the vegetation
and consequently graze the sward much shorter.
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Cattle happily graze the tall
fen vegetation around lake
margins preventing a build
up of dead plant material
and halting successional
changes (B. Hamill).
In Montiaghs Moss in
Northern Ireland (see Case
Study 7.1) a large number
of drinkers placed along
deep drains help disperse
grazing. When livestock
use the drinkers, a pumping
system is activated which
automatically draws water
from the drain to refill the
drinker (B. Hamill).