12 FARM NEWS APR / MAY 2021 • farmers-mart . co . uk
Train to be a Cattle TB Tester :
Non-Vets Wanted
SEVERAL veterinary practices in England are now looking to recruit people from across the agricultural community to help support them in fulfilling their cattle TB testing responsibilities .
These job opportunities are being publicised following approval by the Animal & Plant Health Agency ( APHA ) last November to allow para-professional staff to carry out TB testing in England following appropriate training to become an ‘ Approved Tuberculin Tester ( ATT )’.
“ ATTs may be employed and equipped by a veterinary practice and paid a salary or wages as part of a vet practice team . Alternatively , ATTs may also choose to access the training and then deliver the service as a self-employed person . In this situation they must always liaise closely with the farmer ’ s regular vet ,” explains James Allcock from UK Farmcare – a company that helps to manage government TB testing in England .
Mr Allcock says that anyone interested in becoming an ATT must be at least 18 years old , hold a valid UK driving licence and passport , possess a clean criminal record and then be approved by the APHA .
“ There are also certain minimum educational requirements ( at least three graded GCSEs or equivalent in English , Maths and a science or food production subject ). Applicants also need to be
© Agriphoto able to demonstrate at least six months cattle handling experience ,” he adds .
Following a successful ‘ Disclosure and Barring Service ( DBS )’ check , applicants must find a veterinary practice to provide the direct supervision they need during the practical phase of the training .
“ UK Farmcare can provide support with this if candidates don ’ t currently have contact with a suitable livestock veterinary practice in their local area of England . The next step is to access the online training course and then pass a test that assesses understanding ,” says Mr Allcock .
Veterinary practices sponsoring ATT applicants must already provide TB testing services for both beef and dairy cattle – and have enough TB testing vets available to allow one to be able to supervise training on a one-to-one basis for a few weeks .
Candidates keen to explore this interesting new job opportunity can either contact their local veterinary practice or register their interest on the UK Farmcare website at : https :// ukfarmcare . com / an-introductionto-the-att-role /
Ruminant Health & Welfare identifies priority areas
RUMINANT Health & Welfare has announced four key areas it will be working on over the next two years to help improve cattle and sheep production in the UK . These are : Priority diseases and syndromes , high impact / low prevalence diseases , welfare opportunities and future farming systems .
The organisation launched late last year and has since been working on its strategy to tackle ruminant health and welfare challenges that damage productivity and have consequential impacts on antibiotic use and greenhouse gas emissions .
In mapping out priorities , the group was determined to be relevant to those caring for livestock on the ground , explains chairman Nigel Miller . “ The initial checklist of potential priorities drew heavily on diseases which have the highest impact on carbon efficiency , a close proxy for production efficiency . The development process added several others , some of which were of lower prevalence but important to some regions and sectors .”
The final list was then tested through a survey targeting the farm community , vets and animal health professionals . This sought views on production and welfare impacts as well as looking more widely at market access and potential consumer concerns .
“ In developing an action plan the views of those working directly with sheep , and cattle will be a primary focus and interventions will be selected to deliver meaningful gains or to add-value to existing initiatives ,” he adds .
Now the priorities have been identified , the most effective and achievable interventions will be organised or implemented . “ The commitment is to balance both the agenda and group time to ensure similar levels of activity across the sheep and cattle sectors while also supporting other species of farmed ruminants ,” explains Mr Miller .
For the first area of activity ; priority diseases and syndromes , the organisation will initially focus on marrying the survey results with knowledge on other factors in a workshop . “ We want to prioritise high impact diseases which are amenable to intervention and for which there is a gap we could address ,” says Mr Miller .
For high impact / low prevalence diseases , RH & W has established a working group , which has already identified a shortlist of diseases or conditions which have a high impact at herd or flock level but low prevalence nationally . “ These are diseases with which RH & W can positively intervene and map out a strategy ; the group is also looking into horizon scanning , surveillance and monitoring priorities .”
When it comes to animal welfare , the group is organising a workshop in late spring . “ The aim of the workshop is to develop a welfare positive checklist to allow all involved in caring for ruminant livestock to benchmark their welfare status , and where appropriate adopt new approaches ,” says Mr Miller .
In terms of future farming systems , these projects will tackle bottlenecks in current practices which present health and welfare risks . The aim is to develop future farming systems that raise the bar on health and welfare and improve the sustainability and reputation of the ruminant sector .
“ RH & W ’ s outcomes underpin industry efforts to meet the UK ’ s Net Zero ambitions and are aligned with responsible antibiotic use . RH & W may also reflect the position of the UK ruminant livestock sector , contributing to both policy development and the public understanding of health and welfare issues .”