Plan and manage the health and welfare of livestock

This standard covers the planning and management of the health and welfare of livestock. Maintaining the health and welfare of livestock is key to their performance and therefore essential if the enterprise is to be successful and profitable.

External support and guidance should be sought in preparing the plan, particularly from your veterinary surgeon but also from specialist technical consultants and advisers.

The health and welfare plan must be prepared in accordance with the relevant animal welfare legislation, codes of practice and guidance from animal welfare organisations.

When carrying out your work you must consider the impact it will have on the environment, and work towards preserving and improving habitats and biodiversity and responding to and mitigating the effects of climate change.

This standard is suitable for farm managers, herd/unit managers, crofters and smallholders.

1. Develop a livestock health and welfare plan in line with legislation and industry guidance, including clearly defined targets
2. Seek specialist advice from your veterinary surgeon and other technical consultants and advisers, where required
3. Evaluate the use of technologies within the health and welfare plan and decide on their appropriateness to the enterprise
4. Identify and confirm the availability of resources required to implement the plan
5. Put systems in place to manage the implementation of the livestock health and welfare plan
6. Communicate the plan to those involved in its implementation
7. Provide relevant training for those involved in managing the implementation
8. Establish and confirm measures for hygiene and bio-security
9. Monitor livestock for diseases, disorders, health and welfare issues or injuries, according to the plan
10. Confirm that livestock have access to suitable environmental conditions
11. Implement relevant treatments in line with the livestock health and welfare plan
12. Ensure vaccinations or immunisations are up-to-date and legally compliant
13. Maintain health and safety methods consistent with legislation, codes of practice, and business requirements
14. Ensure personnel managing animal welfare are using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)
15. Confirm compliance with animal welfare legislation, farm quality assurance standards, and business policies
16. Monitor, review, and amend the livestock health and welfare plan regularly
17. Maintain and store records in line with legislation, quality assurance schemes, and business policies

1. The importance of effective planning and management of livestock health and welfare, and its impact on production and profitability
2. The key elements of livestock health and welfare requirements within different production systems
3. The key components of a livestock health and welfare plan
4. The need to follow legislation and industry guidance, working closely with your veterinary surgeon and other technical consultants and advisers
5. Methods for maintaining hygiene and bio-security, and why they are essential
6. Understanding the current health status of livestock and managing existing diseases, disorders, or health and welfare issues, including isolation requirements
7. The implications of using treatments, including withdrawal periods and resistance build-up
8. How to assess the cost-effectiveness of the livestock health and welfare plan
9. How environmental conditions affect livestock health and welfare
10. Health and welfare management systems that prevent, monitor, and control diseases, disorders, and other animal health issues
11. Relevant vaccinations or immunisations required and how to implement them
12. Determining the necessary human, financial, material, and capital resources to implement the plan
13. Methods for communicating with those involved in the plan’s implementation, and how training can be provided if needed
14. Responsibilities under environmental and health and safety legislation, codes of practice, and business requirements
15. The importance of using correct personal protective equipment (PPE) when managing animal welfare
16. The need to provide appropriate facilities, supplies, and equipment for implementation
17. How to monitor and review the plan’s effectiveness and make necessary adjustments
18. Specific animal health and welfare legislation, codes of practice, quality assurance, business policies, and objectives
19. Requirements for reporting and recording, including record retention periods

More detail on bio-security is contained in standard LANAgM13: Plan, manage and evaluate site hygiene and bio-security.