Baylham House Farm persists with lamb cuddling, despite NFAN concerns. The farm says official bodies approved it.
The farm posted about this news online. They said open farms can’t do lamb cuddling now. Baylham Farm has provided lamb cuddling for 25 years. They spoke with an enforcing body later; this body saw no broken legislation.
Other organizations contacted the farm too. They were also shocked by this industry update. After talks and rereading guidelines, the farm made a choice: they decided to keep doing lamb cuddling at their farm.
The farm manager, Kate Ockelton, felt devastated initially. Lamb cuddling is a major part of their sessions. These sessions are for kids with special needs and happen every week at the farm.
Kate said they asked why they were non-compliant. She stated that they follow HSE guidelines closely already. She mentioned the issue had caused a lot of stress.
The NFAN stated lamb cuddling isn’t banned outright. However, it could be risky for spreading germs. Tom Pearcy is the chair for the NFAN and talked about managing public safety.
Tom said farm animals might carry harmful germs. He spoke about using safety steps to reduce that risk as direct contact with lambs poses germ risks. Visitors might spread those germs unknowingly.
Germs on clothing can cause cross-contamination; this affects handling food or kids’ play. The NFAN thinks risks mean no lamb cuddling. Testing animals doesn’t remove all risks of illness, he said.