Plan and monitor the dietary requirements of production livestock
Overview
This standard covers planning and monitoring the dietary requirements of production livestock, including ruminant and monogastric animals. The process involves recognising the role of nutrition in livestock health and performance, and planning, implementing and monitoring dietary plans.
Feed represents the largest cost component of any livestock production system and has a big influence on animal health and performance. Rations should match industry-recognised standards for dietary components, such as energy, protein, minerals and vitamins.
Owners, managers and others responsible for preparing diets and feeding livestock need to react quickly if problems occur. This standard recognises the importance of monitoring the animals’ physical and financial performance and taking swift action when required.
The importance of complying with the relevant legislation, codes of practice and business requirements are also included.
When carrying out your work you must consider the impact it will have on the environment, and work towards preserving and improving habitat and biodiversity and responding to and mitigating the effects of climate change.
This standard is suitable for those involved in the planning and monitoring of dietary requirements of production livestock—for example, livestock farm managers, farmers, crofters, smallholders, agricultural technical advisers, vets and people working in the feed supply industry.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- Identify and evaluate the range of feedstuffs available, and select those suitable for the livestock production system, consistent with quality assurance requirements and business policies
- Evaluate the role of feed supplements and additives in the health and performance of production livestock, and their costs and benefits
- Seek specialist advice where required
- Formulate diets by manual techniques or by using computer software
- Produce plans for the dietary requirements of production livestock that support the intended purpose of the livestock and promote their health, wellbeing, and productivity
- Confirm that the provision of clean, fresh water is included in the plans, in accordance with livestock requirements
- Identify and confirm the availability of the resources required to implement the plans
- Communicate the plans to those involved with their implementation
- Establish storage facilities that protect livestock feed from pests and maintain its quality
- Confirm that the storage facilities are used correctly and monitored regularly
- Establish measures to maintain the required levels of hygiene and bio-security, and confirm that they have been implemented
- Establish measures for the recycling or disposal of waste and unused feedstuffs, in accordance with the relevant legal and business requirements, and confirm that they have been implemented
- Provide suitable equipment for the preparation and provision of feed and water to livestock, and confirm it is kept clean, in good condition, and in full working order
- Confirm that working methods maintain health and safety, and are in line with the relevant legislation, codes of practice, and business requirements
- Confirm that the relevant legislation, codes of practice, and food safety requirements are adhered to when preparing and providing livestock feed and water
- Monitor the provision of feed and water to production livestock
- Monitor the feeding and drinking habits of the livestock, and take the relevant action
- Monitor the ongoing health and wellbeing of the livestock
- Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the dietary plan in meeting its objectives, including the short- and long-term physical and financial outcomes of the delivered diets, and benchmark the data
- Confirm that records are maintained and stored as required by the relevant legislation, quality assurance requirements, and business policies
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- The digestive process of the relevant production livestock and the effect nutrition has on the health, wellbeing, and performance of the animals
- How to calculate the nutritional requirements, including water, for the relevant production livestock, for varying performance levels, pregnancy, and growth
- The benefits of improved nutrition on livestock health, wellbeing, and productivity
- The practices that can lead to nutritional problems in livestock
- How to evaluate, in terms of their value and quality, available feedstuffs for use in rations, including purchased feedstuffs
- The specific action of minerals, vitamins, and other supplements and additives on the health, wellbeing, and performance of production livestock and their cost benefit
- The influence of new knowledge and ideas on ration preparation and how to source new technology
- The sources of information and specialist advice on the preparation of dietary plans
- How to produce dietary plans that promote the health, wellbeing, and performance of production livestock, and meet the intended purpose of the livestock
- How to formulate concentrated feedstuffs to a set specification, taking into account cost and nutritional factors, and using least-cost methodology
- How to formulate diets manually or using computer software
- The resources required to implement the dietary plan, including storage requirements and equipment
- The storage requirements for different types of livestock feed to maintain quality and keep it free from pests, and the importance of stock rotation and best-before dates
- How to monitor the effect of diet on animal health and wellbeing, including the influence of the environment and the feeding method
- The key performance indicators and how to calculate and benchmark the results
- The actions that can be taken to resolve identified dietary problems
- The importance of communicating with others involved in the livestock production system, including the veterinary surgeon
- The methods of maintaining hygiene and bio-security and the reasons why these are important
- The relevant legal and business requirements for the handling, transport, storage, recycling, and disposal of waste and by-products
- Your responsibilities under the relevant environmental, health and safety, and food hygiene legislation, codes of practice, and business requirements
- The requirements for reporting and recording, and the length of time that records should be retained