Requirement | Description of breach | Extent
Impact limited/not limited to an on-farm effect | Severity
Minimum, Medium, or High | Permanence
Rectifiable or Permanent |
|---|
Staffing You must make sure that your animals are cared for by enough staff who have the appropriate ability, knowledge and professional skills. | Number of staff available insufficient to prevent welfare problems occurring. Evidence that stockperson demonstrates lack of professional competence and/or ability in livestock care, which is not covered by any other specific criteria listed in the schedule. | On farm | Medium Evidence of breach but where this has not caused unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). High Where there is unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). | Rectifiable Rectifiable / Permanent |
Inspection (Frequency) You must thoroughly inspect your animals at least once a day to check that they are well if you keep them in husbandry systems where their welfare depends on frequent human attention. In systems other than this you must inspect them at intervals that will avoid them suffering. You must have enough lighting so that you can carry out a thorough inspection at any time. This lighting may be fixed or portable | Livestock have not been inspected to the required frequency. No or inadequate fixed or portable lighting available to enable thorough inspection of animals. | On farm | Medium Evidence of breach but where this has not caused unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). High Where there is unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). | Rectifiable Rectifiable / Permanent |
Inspection (care) If any of your animals appear ill or injured you must care for them immediately. If they do not respond to this care, you must get veterinary advice as soon as possible. If necessary, you must isolate sick or injured animals in suitable accommodation with dry comfortable bedding. | Animal has not been cared for appropriately. There has been an unacceptable delay in the care of the sick animal. Stockperson has failed to seek veterinary advice if inspector believes that any competent stockperson would have done so. Animal not isolated when, in the inspector's opinion on the day of inspection, the animal required isolation in suitable accommodation with, where appropriate, dry comfortable bedding. Isolation facilities are not suitable (taking into account sick animals' injury / illness). | On farm (However for ineffective appropriate advice relating to disease treatment may extend to other farms) | Medium Evidence of breach but where this has not caused unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). High Where there is unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). | Rectifiable Rectifiable / Permanent |
Record Keeping You must keep a record of: - any medicinal treatment given to your animals; and
- the number of deaths found when the animals are inspected.
You must keep these records for at least three years under animal welfare laws (from the date on which the treatment was given, or the date of the relevant inspection for deaths). You must make the records available to any authorised person at an inspection or when otherwise asked for. | Medicine records are not kept. Mortality records are not kept. Records for medicines are kept but do not agree with products / veterinary invoices / animals undergoing treatment found on farm at the time of inspection ( i.e. records are inadequate or incorrect). Records for mortality are kept but do not agree with evidence found on farm e.g. carcasses and/or relevant database information ( e.g.CTS) ( i.e. records are inadequate or incorrect). Medicine and/or mortality records not available for inspection by the inspector when requested. Medicine and/or mortality records available for inspection by the inspector but do not cover the previous 3 years ( i.e. records are incomplete). | On farm | Minimum | Rectifiable / Permanent |
Freedom of Movement You must not restrict your animals' freedom of movement if this causes them unnecessary suffering or injury. You should take account of the species of animal, established experience and scientific knowledge. If your animals are continuously or regularly tethered or confined, you must give them enough space to avoid unnecessary stress. You must also allow them to exhibit their normal behaviour in line with established experience and scientific knowledge. | Animal(s) caused unnecessary suffering or injury due to restricted freedom of movement. Animal(s) caused unnecessary suffering or injury by method of tethering or confinement. | On farm | High | Rectifiable / Permanent |
Buildings and Accommodation Materials used in building accommodation must not be harmful to your animals, for example lead paint or excessively rusting metal. This particularly refers to the pens, cages, stalls and equipment that your animals may come into contact with. You must use materials that can be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. You must build and maintain accommodation so that there are no sharp edges or protrusions that could injure your animals. | Harmful materials have been used in the construction of accommodation, pens and/or equipment. Accommodation is not capable of being thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Sharp edges or protrusions in accommodation or fittings likely to cause injury. | On farm | Medium Evidence of breach but where this has not caused unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). High Where there is unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). | Rectifiable Rectifiable / Permanent |
You must keep air circulation, dust levels, temperature, relative air humidity and gas concentrations within limits that are not harmful to your animals. | Air circulation, dust levels, temperature, relative air humidity or gas concentrations either singly or in combination are harmful to the animals. | On farm | Medium Evidence of breach but where this has not caused unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). High Where there is unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). ( e.g. lack of supplementary heat and/or bedding for neonates when a competent stock person would deem it appropriate to provide it to avoid hypothermia) | Rectifiable Rectifiable / Permanent |
When you keep animals in buildings, you must not keep them in permanent darkness. You must provide enough artificial lighting if there is not enough natural light in a building to meet the animals' biological needs and normal behaviour. In this case you must also give them an appropriate period of rest from artificial lighting. | Animals kept in permanent darkness. No supplementary lighting provided when natural light provided is insufficient to meet the physiological and ethological needs of animals. Animals kept without appropriate rest from artificial lighting. | On farm | High Medium High | Rectifiable Rectifiable |
Animals not kept in buildings When you do not keep your animals in buildings, if necessary you must give them protection from adverse weather conditions, predators and risks to their health. At all times they must have access to a well-drained lying area. | Lack of protection from adverse weather conditions, predators and/or other risks to health. Evidence of no well drained lying area for stock that are not kept in buildings. | On farm | Medium Evidence of breach but where this has not caused unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). High Where there is unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). | Rectifiable Rectifiable / Permanent |
Automatic or mechanical equipment If you have any automated or mechanical equipment that is essential for the health and wellbeing of your animals, you must inspect it at least once a day to check that there are no faults with it. If you discover any faults, you must put these right immediately. If this is impossible, you must take appropriate steps to protect the health and wellbeing of your animals until you can get the fault put right. These steps may include using other methods of feeding and watering and methods of providing and maintaining a satisfactory environment. | Automated and/or mechanical equipment essential to animal health and well-being is not inspected at least once a day. Defects are found in automated or mechanical equipment essential for health and well-being and farmer has not taken appropriate action. | On farm | Medium Evidence of breach but where this has not caused unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). High Where there is unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). | Rectifiable Rectifiable / Permanent |
If the health and wellbeing of your animals depends on an artificial ventilation system, you must have an appropriate back-up system that, if the main system fails, guarantees enough air renewal. You must provide an alarm system (which can operate even if the main electricity supply fails) to warn you if the ventilation system fails. You must thoroughly inspect the ventilation back-up system at least once every seven days and test each alarm system at least once every seven days to check that they work. If you find any faults (whether at inspection or at any other time), you must put them right immediately. | Lack of appropriate back-up system. Lack of appropriate alarm system. Lack of evidence and response from stockperson indicates that back-up system is not inspected at least every 7 days. Lack of evidence and response from stockperson indicates alarm system is not tested at least every 7 days. Back up system and/or alarm system is present but fails to operate when inspector requests demonstration at time of inspection ( i.e. there are faults in the system(s)). | On farm | Medium Evidence of breach but where this has not caused unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). High Where there is unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). e.g. because of ventilation system failure | Rectifiable Rectifiable / Permanent |
Feed, water and other substances You must feed your animals a wholesome diet that is appropriate to their age and species. They must receive enough food to keep them healthy, meet their nutritional needs and promote a positive state of wellbeing. You must give all animals access to feed at intervals appropriate to their biological needs (and, in any case, at least once a day). This applies unless a vet has told you otherwise. | Feed that is available is not wholesome and/or is inappropriate for the age and species of livestock inspected. Feed has failed to maintain good health and satisfy nutritional needs. Animals are being fed less frequently than once per day and/or not as appropriate to their physiological needs and this is not because of veterinary advice. | On farm | Medium Evidence of breach but where this has not caused unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). High Where there is unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). | Rectifiable Rectifiable / Permanent |
You must give all animals either access to a suitable water supply and enough fresh drinking water each day or they must be able to get enough fluid in any other way. | Insufficient or no water supply (or other suitable means) such that animals cannot meet their fluid intake needs. | On farm | Medium Evidence of breach but where this has not caused unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). High Where there is unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). | Rectifiable Rectifiable / Permanent |
You must not give your animals food or liquid in a manner, or containing any substance, which may cause them unnecessary suffering or injury. | Provision of feed and/or liquid that may cause unnecessary suffering or injury. | On farm | Medium Evidence of breach but where this has not caused unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). High Where there is unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). | Rectifiable Rectifiable / Permanent |
You must design, build, place and maintain feeding and watering equipment so that you minimise any contamination of food and water and the harmful effects of competition between animals. | Contamination of feed and/or water due to design, construction or location of equipment. Direct observation of harmful/ excessive competition between animals for feed and/or water resource. | On farm | Medium Evidence of breach but where this has not caused unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). High Where there is unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). | Rectifiable Rectifiable / Permanent |
You must not administer substance that is harmful to your animals' health and welfare apart from those given on the advice of a vet for treatment or preventative reasons. | Use of treatment administered in/ onto animal that is not licensed. Use of treatment that is not an accepted therapy for that condition in that species. | On farm | Medium Evidence of breach but where this has not caused unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). High Where there is unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). | Permanent |
Mutilations The general rule is that you should not carry out mutilations and interventions on your animals. However, some procedures may be justified because of the overall welfare benefit they provide. Annex 1 lists the procedures that are allowed and the conditions attached to some of them, such as the age at which they may be carried out or the requirement for anaesthetic. These "permitted procedures" may only be carried out under hygienic conditions by: - a vet; or
- a person, who is legally allowed, has been trained in line with the appropriate laws and is experienced in carrying out the procedures.
| Mutilation that is not listed as a permitted procedure (see Table 1 of Annex 1 has been carried out on farmed animal. Permitted procedure has been carried out but not by a veterinary surgeon or an experienced / adequately trained person as required by law A "permitted procedure" which has specific requirements attached has been carried out without those specific requirements (see Table 2 in Annex 1, such as: - Need for anaesthetic
- Age at which procedure is permitted
- Method used to carry out the procedure
- Absolute requirement for veterinary surgeon to carry out procedure
- That procedure should be a last resort
- Procedure carried out at appropriate stage of breeding cycle
| On farm | High | Permanent |
Breeding Procedures You must not carry out natural or artificial breeding or breeding procedures that cause, or are likely to cause, suffering or injury to any of your animals such as inappropriate mating with an immature or unsuitably sized female. This does not prevent you from using natural or artificial breeding procedures that are likely to cause minimal or momentary suffering or injury, or that might require interventions that would not cause lasting injury. You can continue using procedures that are currently allowed under existing law. | Inappropriate breeding has taken place that is likely to cause or has caused suffering or injury. | On farm | Medium Evidence of breach but where this has not caused unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). High Where there is unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). | Rectifiable Rectifiable / Permanent |
You must not keep animals for farming purposes unless it can reasonably be expected, based on the normal genetic and physical characteristics of their breed, that you can keep them without any negative effects on their health or welfare. | Animals kept for farming purposes whose genotype or phenotype is likely to have a detrimental effect on their health or welfare. | On farm | Medium Evidence of breach but where this has not caused unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). High Where there is unnecessary pain, distress or injury to animal(s). | Rectifiable Rectifiable / Permanent |