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ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELFARE

Version 3.0

Click to view all ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELFARE

Key – Those standards which have greater significance (all other standards are normal)

Recommendation – Those which do not affect certification

New – A completely new standard which the member must now adhere to

Revised – A standard that has changed and requires the member to take some different or additional action to before

Upgraded – The standard has been upgraded to a Key standard or from a Recommendation to a full standard

Appendix – Referenced in ‘How you will be measured’. Indicates that additional information is provided in the Appendices, which are available at the end of each section.

This icon indicates that a record is required.

Where to find help – at the end of each section we have indicated where you can get extra guidance if you need it.

Aim:

ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELFARE

TP.AH.1 Key

Standards

Livestock must be transported by demonstrably competent people

How you will be measured

  • Staff have skills and knowledge in animal husbandry
  • Staff have demonstrable knowledge of the following:
    • in relation to the species they are transporting:
  • signs of stress and distress
  • loading, unloading, handling and transport behaviours, including causes for baulking and reaction to isolation
  • livestock that can and cannot be transported, fitness to transport
  • suitable handling aids and when and how to use them
  • the impact of bedding provision, ventilation, stocking density, distress and journey length on cleanliness
    • in relation to their actions or actions they may need to take:
  • the actions (including reporting) that should be taken if an animal is or becomes unfit
  • feed and water requirements, journey times and rest periods
  • the impact of driving route and driving skills on welfare
  • when checks of livestock on route are needed, and how to undertake them
    • in relation to the vehicle:
  • the transport vehicle, the design and operation
  • loading procedures, including space allowances, partition adjustment, deck heights, actions to be taken if ramp gets slippery (i.e. litter provision)
    • documentation to be carried or kept

Staff performance review, training records

TP.AH.1.1

Standards

Livestock must be transported by trained people

How you will be measured

  • Drivers hold the relevant species specific Certificate of Competence for the journeys they undertake:
    • drivers undertaking journeys over 65 km and less than 8 hours hold a Certificate of Competence for Short Journeys
    • drivers undertaking journeys over 8 hours hold a Certificate of Competence for Long Journeys

Training records, certificates

TP.AH.1.2

Standards

It is recommended that where drivers are legally required to undergo training to hold a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC), the training includes a module related to livestock welfare

How you will be measured

  • This recommendation applies to training undertaken following the introduction of this standard and every 5 years thereafter

Training record

TP.AH.2 Key

Standards

Livestock transported must be fit for the intended journey

How you will be measured

  • The following livestock are not transported, (unless moving them will not cause additional suffering and it is either under the direction of a veterinary surgeon or for veterinary treatment):
    • sick or injured livestock
    • shorn sheep (with less than 7mm of staple growth) during extremely cold weather
    • heavily pregnant females (where more than 90% of the gestation period has passed)
    • females who have given birth during the last 7 days
    • pigs of less than 3 weeks in age
    • newborns with unhealed navels
  • The following livestock are transported on journeys outside of the times/ distances outlined below:
    • Calves less than 10 days – Not transported more than 100 km unless accompanied by their dam
    • Calves less than 11-14 days – Not transported more than 8 hours unless accompanied by their dam
    • Lambs of less than 7 days – Not transported more than 100 km unless accompanied by their dam
    • Pigs less than 10kg – Not transported more than 8 hours

TP.AH.3 Key

Standards

Livestock that become sick or injured during transport must be managed in a way that minimises suffering

How you will be measured

  • If identified at an abattoir or market, the animal is handled in accordance with the site's procedures
  • Where the problem has been identified elsewhere, the animal is managed in accordance with the emergency plan. The severity and scale of the issue may require the involvement of a veterinary surgeon and/ or the emergency services

Emergency plan

TP.AH.4 Key

Standards

Livestock must be handled appropriately to their species behaviour

How you will be measured

  • Livestock are handled in a quiet manner, without frightening, excitement, mistreatment or force
  • Handlers do not:
    • strike or kick livestock
    • apply pressure to sensitive parts of the animal’s body
    • lift or drag livestock by the head, ears, horns, legs, tail or fleece
    • rush livestock at loading or unloading
    • overturn livestock

TP.AH.4.1

Standards

Livestock must be moved in a manner that prevents the opportunity for pain, stress or injury to the animal

How you will be measured

  • Livestock moved calmly by farmer and / or transporter driver
  • Handling aids/ prompts used to move are restricted to:
    • Paddles, rattles, flags – used as an extension of the arm to guide livestock
    • Wooden sticks (cattle only), with no sharp points – used as an extension of the arm to guide livestock and not used to hit or prod an animal
    • Boards (pigs)

TP.AH.4.2

Standards

With the farmers permission and supervision, aids which administer electric shocks can be used on mature cattle, sows and boars refusing to move and becoming stressed / agitated after ALL other means have been exhausted.

How you will be measured

  • Aids which administer electric shocks (goads) are only used where all other possible measures have been exhausted, these include :
    • Time and patience to allow the animals to move
    • Moving the animals one at a time or in smaller groups
    • Tempting the animals with straw or feed
    • Recruiting more people to assist
    • Altering the race leading to the tailboard to make access more obvious to the animals
    • Altering the lighting to avoid sudden changes from light to shade or vice versa
    • Turning the lorry’s engine off
  • Aids are only used by persons who have been trained in their use
  • The aid is used on the muscles of the hindquarters and the shocks last no longer than 1 second and are adequately spaced There is room ahead for livestock to move into
  • Goads are not used repeatedly if an animal refuses to move / fails to respond
  • A record is held detailing the circumstances for the use and includes the farmers signature confirming their permission

Documented procedure for electric goads, documented record of farmer permission to use on mature pigs

TP.AH.5

Standards

Distressed livestock must be handled appropriately

How you will be measured

  • Appropriate care is given to the animal i.e. segregation/ do not transport where necessary

TP.AH.6 Key

Standards

Loading procedures must ensure that livestock have sufficient space to prevent injury

How you will be measured

  • Livestock are loaded onto decks of appropriate heights that allow them to stand comfortably without any part of their body touching and rubbing on the ceiling of the deck
  • Livestock are not too tightly or too loosely stocked
    • stocking densities outlined in legislation are adhered to
    • adjustments to stocking density are made when required to allow for current weather conditions, journey duration, size and category of stock

TP.AH.6.1

Standards

The driver must have an understanding of the vehicles loading capacity to ensure the loading procedures are effectively implemented

How you will be measured

  • The driver understands the maximum stocking capacity of the compartment and can calculate the stocking density based on the weight of the livestock
    • the driver can verbally explain the numbers of livestock of a given weight range/ category that a compartment could hold
    • the livestock keeper is asked to provide rough weights were necessary
  • The driver understands any deck height limitations and which categories of stock may be affected

TP.AH.7

Standards

Livestock must be appropriately segregated during transport

How you will be measured

  • The following categories of livestock are not transported in the same compartment (separated by deck or partition):
    • different species
    • pigs of different origin
    • cattle and sheep of significantly different sizes or ages unless they are from the same farm and have been managed together or are females accompanied by their dependent young
    • horned and un-horned cattle, unless they have been managed together
    • sexually mature entire males and females together
    • sexually mature entire males, unless they have been managed together
    • livestock that are known to be aggressive/ bullying one another

TP.AH.8

Standards

Transport conditions must be able to maintain livestock cleanliness

How you will be measured

  • The cleanliness of the vehicle, provision of bedding, management of the journey, etc. ensures that, where possible, livestock cleanliness conditions are maintained i.e. if slaughter livestock were clean on-farm, they are clean when they are unloaded at the abattoir
  • The exceptions to this are where on-farm management practices (e.g. where animals have not been fasted pre-journey), have an impact on excrement produced during the journey

TP.AH.8.1

Standards

It is recommended that a record is kept of the instances where livestock are dirty at loading

TP.AH.9

Standards

Safe, suitable and legal bedding material is provided for calves, lambs and pigs

How you will be measured

  • Applicable to calves less than 6 months, lambs less than 20kg and all pigs
  • Bedding is non-injurious, non-toxic and is absorptive
    • sawdust is not used for calves, lambs and piglets
  • Bedding is provided in sufficient quantity for the number of animals being transported:
    • so that it lasts the journey
    • providing thermal comfort where necessary
    • protecting the animal from direct contact with the floor
    • so that in hot, humid weather it does not adversely impact the welfare of the animals being transported

TP.AH.9.1

Standards

It is recommended that safe, suitable and legal bedding material is provided to all livestock during transport

TP.AH.10

Standards

The business must maintain a record of all welfare incidents that occur during transport activities

How you will be measured

  • A welfare incident is defined as:
    • where acute distress, injury or pain is caused to an animal, including where the unfit animal procedures/ emergency plan has been implemented
    • dead on arrivals
    • severe delays to a journey/ delays at unloading
    • a catastrophic or ongoing equipment failure (with the vehicle) which has an impact on animal welfare

Welfare incidents

TP.AH.10.1

Standards

Each welfare incident must be investigated and appropriate corrective action implemented

How you will be measured

  • The root cause of each incident is determined
  • Appropriate corrective action is implemented
  • Where the incident cause is within the business’s control (e.g. the cause is related to driving skills, handling skills) corrective action may include staff retraining, or in severe cases, dismissal
  • Where the cause of the welfare incident is outside of the business’s control, corrective action may include reporting the issue to relevant interested parties, including (but not limited to):
    • the farmer, market or abattoir
    • relevant assurance scheme (if a reoccurring incident)
    • official veterinarian
    • Local Authority
    • equipment manufacturer

TP.AH.10.2

Standards

A record of the investigation, findings and any corrective action undertaken must be recorded

How you will be measured

  • Record includes:
    • who undertook the investigation
    • findings, including the root cause
    • details of any corrective action