Back

Respond to animal health incidents

URN: LANCS105
Business Sectors (Suites): Incident Management in the Land-based Sector
Developed by: Lantra
Approved on: 30 Mar 2023

Overview

​

This standard is suitable for those who work in farming, poultry production, equine, game and wildlife management, environmental conservation or any other occupation where animals are present.

It is applicable to all situations involving animal health incidents and emergencies and applies to all types of animals and birds. It relates to the activities that you need to undertake before, during and after an animal health incident or emergency.

To meet this standard, you will be able to:
• prepare for animal health incidents and emergencies
• take actions to protect animal health
• monitor animal health
• identify pests and diseases 
• report notifiable (quarantine) pests and diseases
• take action to contain and manage pest and disease outbreaks
• monitor and improve responses

For you to fully understand the content of the standard, and the activities it describes, it is important that you are able to understand the terms used within the standard. See Glossary for some definitions that should help you with this.

Performance criteria

You must be able to:

​

  1. be aware of potential pests and diseases that could affect the animals or birds in your care
  2. keep up to date with pest and disease alerts
  3. implement measures to protect the animals or birds in your care from pests and diseases
  4. regularly monitor the animals or birds in your care for signs of pests and diseases
  5. identify pests and diseases that are notifiable (quarantine) and report these to the responsible organisation, in accordance with their requirements
  6. for notifiable pest and disease incidents follow instructions from the responsible organisation to contain and manage the outbreak 
  7. for non-notifiable pest and disease incidents take the appropriate action to minimise the impacts of the outbreak
  8. implement contingency plans to minimise the impact of animal health incidents
  9. see specialist advice where necessary
  10. monitor the outcome of the animal health incident and take action to improve the response
  11. complete records and documentation as required by legislation and the organisation policies and procedures

Knowledge and Understanding

You need to know and understand:

​

  1. the pests and diseases that could affect the animals or birds in your care
  2. how to keep up to date with pest and disease alerts
  3. the measures required to protect the animals or birds in your care from pests and diseases, including biosecurity measures
  4. the importance of regular monitoring of the animals or birds in your care for signs of pests and diseases, and how often this should be done 
  5. how to recognise possible incidents of pests and diseases and which are notifiable (quarantine) and which are not (non-quarantine)
  6. how to report a notifiable (quarantine) incident, who it should be reported to and the requirements for notification
  7. the importance of following the statutory measures defined by the responsible organisation when responding to a notifiable pest and disease incident
  8. the actions that can be taken to contain and manage the impact of non-notifiable pest and disease incidents
  9. the importance of contingency plans to minimise the impact of animal health incidents and what they should contain
  10. where to seek specialist advice and training
  11. the importance of monitoring the outcome of the animal health incident and using the lessons learned to improve future actions
  12. the records and documentation that needs to be completed in accordance with legislation and the policies and procedures of your organisation

Scope/range

Scope Performance

Scope Knowledge

Values

Behaviours

Skills

Glossary

​

Biosecurity: Measures aimed at preventing the introduction and/or spread of pathogenic organisms

Possible actions to take to contain and manage an outbreak:
• Preventing movement in and out of the area
• Thorough cleaning and disinfection of equipment, PPE, vehicles, machinery and other related items which could cause the spread of the pest and/or disease
• Implementing biosecurity measures
• Implementing control and containment measures
• Tracking and tracing potentially affected animals
• Maintaining communication with all involved
• Implementing pest and disease management procedures to contain or eradicate
• Monitoring the results of management action

Responsible organisations e.g.
• DEFRA
• Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)
• Scottish Government (SG)
• NatureScot
• Welsh Government
• DAERA 

Links To Other NOS

External Links

Version Number

1

Indicative Review Date

30 Mar 2028

Validity

Current

Status

Original

Originating Organisation

Lantra

Original URN

LANCS105

Relevant Occupations

Environmental Conservation, Equine Manager, Farmer, Head Keeper

SOC Code

5111

Keywords

animal; livestock; birds; poultry; pests; diseases; outbreak; incident