Agistment – Grazing Other Owners’ Camelids

Click here to read this PDF article by Stephen Mulholland, Ph.D, Agistment – Grazing Other Owners’ Camelids

An extract of this article is below, click on the link above for a pdf of the entire article.

The term “to agist” comes from English common law, and refers to the taking on of cattle for grazing in return for payment. This term is also used by camelid breeders to describe when llamas or alpacas belonging to one person are cared for at another farm.

There are many reasons why people agist llamas. The term can be short (a day or two during transport), medium (a few weeks or months while mating), or long (years). There are also circumstances where your llamas may never leave your farm, but you rely on someone else to care for them temporarily (farm-sitters). This article deals with some of the issues involved in agistment, and is meant to provide some helpful guidance for both parties in such an arrangement.

Ideally, caring for llamas and alpacas is a simple, even joyful task. They are smart, hardy, and easy to manage. Unfortunately, sometimes things go wrong- animals get sick, injured, or die. This is understandably traumatic, but even worse it can then give rise to disputes after the fact. Were the animals being cared for properly? Was the situation preventable? Was there a reasonable expectation that an issue should have been recognized and resolved?

The best way to prevent misunderstanding and disputes is for both parties in an Agistment arrangement to be fully informed. Know what is expected, know what will be provided, and know the people involved.

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