Q. Why is your Novel Clamping System so different to the Burdizzos or side-crushers of the present and past?
The difference is that we leave the Clip in place to ensure the scrotum or tail is removed. A Burdizzo leaves you guessing if you have successfully castrated or not. It is similar, however, because it castrates in the same way by cutting sperm cords, and by disabling nerves, and so it eliminates pain from the point of application, forever.
Q. Why is Your Clamping System now less skilled when Clamping is universally described as a skilled job?
With the ‘old’ Burdizzo type of tool, it is necessary to crush each spermatic cord separately, which takes time, and leaving un-crushed scrotal tissues and blood vessels to maintain the scrotum is a skill and needs anatomical knowledge. So with clips, which crushes across the whole scrotum, no skill greater than that required for Ringing is necessary. We don’t demand any additional selective positioning. We want confidence in the castration process by removing the scrotum entirely. The ‘old’ system was aimed at disabling the testes only, and by all accounts this was not always achieved.
Q. Is ClipFitter Legal in England ?
YES, for castration and tail-docking – but currently (2025/6) only for lambs up to the age of 7 days. Although it is still legal for very young lambs of that age to be hurt with rings, there is no need to any more, with ClipFitter.
Q. Why, in some Husbandry documents, are people warned against crushing across the whole scrotum with a Burdizzo and yet you are doing it?
If the Burdizzo is applied across the whole neck of the scrotum all the tissues beyond the line of crush can/will die. So, because there is nothing (like a ring in the combined method, or our novel clip) to hold the live skin together until healing occurs, a large open wound can occur. Hence that advice or warning. However, with our clip in place the wound should be small and rapidly heals over when the clip and dead tissues fall off.
Q. Why might your new system work with less than the usual 5 to 10 seconds of holding time recommended for a Burdizzo?
As soon as the latches on our Clip are locked then the Fitter is in a position to be removed. The necessary holding time will depend upon the size of the lamb, the modulus of the tissues and the force applied by the clamper.
The Burdizzo is removed after a subjective delay too, so the success of both systems will depend on the good judgement of the farmer.
Remember, our Clip continues working after initial application.
Q. When used as a Tailing device, could crushing the tails offer the possibility of premature tail removal causing other issues?
The main issue for tailing is haemorrhaging. In theory, once our Clip is applied, the excess tail could be removed immediately (if it were allowed) provided that our Clip cannot be easily pulled off. In practice tails remove themselves with the clip after only a few days with no resulting haemorrhaging. Generally, the sooner the clamp is off after the first few days the quicker the tail will heal.
Q. What are the UK Laws - and how were the decisions made ?
1. The UK Law seems to originate, in recent times, with the 1954 Protection of Animals (Anaesthetics) – England, Wales and Scotland Act It originally allowed Castration to 12 months on Sheep but only as an exception to the general use of anaesthetics in sensitive operations. It crucially was ammended in 1964 for Sheep, reducing the Maximum age for specifically Castration and Tail Docking by restricting the flow of blood (ringing) to 7 days. It also limited other castration methods (Clamping) to an age limit of 3 months.
2. In the late 1900’s and early 2000’s many countries seemed to start to discuss ‘mutilations’ and pain, and further advice to UK Government followed, from the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) in 2008 in a Report on Castration and Tailing. This developed their less-informed report of 1994 which concluded that more research into those specific practices was needed and by 2008 they thought they had enough scientific evidence to improve on the original document. Amongst many other things, they issued a reminder that as a result of the pain suffered, the probability increased of mis-mothering with it’s after effects, and that it was incorrect to assume that lambs of less than 7 days felt less pain !
3. In 2009 the Government Response to the FAWC Report includes the statement that Methods of castration and tail docking using rubber rings, clamps and combined methods and tail docking using a hot iron would continue to be permitted. (This is the only reference I can find linking Government approval to Clamping). FAWC also supported the continuing use of all methods except surgical castration. Out of interest the response also committed to supporting funding of the development of pain relief and mentioned needle-less injectors too. I do wonder whether any further funding was instigated on any pain relief methods ?
4. Advocates for Animals also responded via ScotGov in 2009 to the FAWC report. As far as Clamping (they referred only to Burdizzo) was concerned they suggested that while it blocked the nerve, it was only after a short burst of pain that you wouldn’t allow on a companion animal, and therefore shouldn’t on a food animal either. They state that with rubber rings, lambs experience pain all the way through the process of atrophy. They state that Anaesthesia needs to be accompanied by Analgesics, and even then neither is enough for this long period of suffering.
5. Australian Standards derive from a Discussion paper produced by the Sheep Standards and Guidelines Writing Group in 2013. They refer to UK, NZ and Canadian Standards too. Clamping or Crushing as they also call it, is ‘dismissed’ as a method that is rarely used because of the skill level required which leads to low success levels if used. NZ DPI (Department of Primary Industries) will publish new requirements in 2026 after consultation. It appears that pain relief will be required !
6. Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), as an example of a devolved and influential guideline, refers to the Codes of Practice for the Welfare of Sheep published by ScotGov in 2012. This helpfully describes the amended 1954 Law, which, however, fails to specify any non-blood-restricting methods simply saying that methods of castration that do rely on blood flow restriction to work are limited in use to 7 days of age; those ‘other methods’ to 3 months maximum before a vet and anaesthetic need to be involved. Thankfully in 2025 QMS have included “Clips” in their latest authoritative guidelines for sheep keepers.
7. In March 2022 The Scottish Government declared the ClipFitter system legal for castration and tailing of on lambs to 3 months.
Q. How long does it take for your bio-clips to degrade ?
Officially biodegradable – but only as much as wood chip is biodegradable. Our clips are basically plant based, with wood as the dominant element. so they don’t ‘melt away’ (which would be a danger to the clips integrity), but with the presence of natural occurring microbes they decay, like wood. Clearly they leave no microplastics, nor have we used fossil petroleum based plastics in their manufacture… it’s a bit like dust to dust in principle – plant to plant in essence.
Q. Can you 'short-scrotum' castrate baby lambs with a clip ?
Yes ! Clips are particularly good at shutting the door on testicles trapped under the abdominal wall. Trials on very young lambs organised by Ruminant Health and Welfare Scotland showed that an average of 2kg can be expected from lambs that keep their balls. They grow with very visible male characteristics and behaviour. The downside to gambling on growth in this way, is that until a foolproof method has been identified there is a very small risk of fertile ram lambs ! Interestingly, as the balls continue to grow ‘underground’ they can even bulge externally so much that you can feel them clearly. Firm testicles can be assumed to be fertile, but soft, almost mushy balls, are very likely to be infertile. Nevertheless a concern is that buyers will reject anything that shows signs of having testicles and treat them as rigs. Do you think 2 extra kgs is a valuable payment for taking a risk ?
Q. Is there a preferred orientation for the clip ? It looks as though it could abrade the lamb's inside legs ?
The ‘natural’ direction is across the lamb (we call it East-West), as the testicles hang normally, but there is no compulsion to apply it like that. Nearly everyone asks if an apparently big clip can cause sores on the inside of the lamb’s legs – but we have had no reports of any note to confirm this, and the science says not too.
East-West is considered the safest direction because, although the teats will be directly underneath the clip, the urethra is definitely avoided this way. I don;t think the discussion on direction is ‘over’ yet, and although no abrasion appears to occur, I have a feeling that a particularly big clip is never left in peace to heal the crushed skin and form a happy scar .. as the legs move it back and forth.
Do I have to use the same size Fitter as the Clips I want to use ?
NO, but bigger clips won’t fit in smaller Fitters ! If in doubt buy a bigger Fitter and a choice of clips. Fitting smaller clips with a bigger fitter is possible with care, and there are tricks that you can use to keep a smaller clip stable in an ‘oversize’ Fitter. It’s always better to fit a bigger clip than a clip that is ‘just the right size’.