Development Officer
As part of the core-funded Advisory Service provided by SAC, SEERAD are funding a Development Officer to support the promotion of the AHWM Programme to farmers, to encourage its uptake and to support the veterinary profession in providing consistent delivery of related advice and services on farms across Scotland. As with other advisory activities, an annually agreed descriptor outlines the work being funded under the Animal Health and Welfare Management Programme. Key activities conducted under this remit include:
Vet induction meetings
In 2005 twenty five vet induction meetings were held, to which at least one representative of a veterinary practice had to attend for that practice to be SEERAD accredited for the purpose of producing AHWM Plans. From 2006, we asked that each individual veterinary surgeon who wishes to produce Plans attend an induction meeting to ensure they are fully up to date with the rules of the AHWM Programme.
The main induction meetings for 2006 and 2007 took place in June in Inverurie and Lanark. In 2008, the meeting was held in June in Edinburgh. In addition to the opportunity for discussion and questions, delegates are given a CD-rom to take away, containing updated guidance, a suggested template for AHWM Plans and lists of all benchmarking measures for each enterprise type.
The induction meetings for 2007 took place in June in Inverurie and Lanark, and in 2008 the induction meeting was held in Edinburgh in June 2008.
If you are a vet planning to produce plans under the AHWM programme, and need to attend an induction meeting, please contact the Development officer by email: linsay.eaglesham@sac.co.uk.
To find out if your vet has attended an induction course and is therefore accredited for the purposes of producing AHWM Plans, please see the Accredited vet list.
Development of a promotional DVD: A healthy Future for Scottish Livestock
This DVD has been produced as a joint venture between the Development Officer at SAC, Quality Meat Scotland and SEERAD and was launched at the Winter Fair at Ingliston on 22nd November 2006. It is intended to promote the wider concept of animal health and welfare planning and to illustrate the benefits of the Animal Health and Welfare Management Programme. Free copies can be obtained from QMS or the Development officer at SAC.
Health Plan software
The Development officer is working with SAC IT professionals, vets and industry to develop a web-based AHWM Plan that will facilitate a more consistent format and content. The system is called the Scottish Animal Health Planning System. Phase 1 - Sheep health plans, was launched at the Highland Show in 2008. Beef and Dairy plans will follow during 2009 and 2010 respectively.
Key Functions Phase 1:
- Produce a tailored, concise and comprehensive health plan for your flock.
- Summarise health plan data by specific diseases or conditions.
- Facility to record and compare performance on a range of production/disease conditions (including those for benchmarking) year on year.
- The facility to compare flocks against national levels for specific diseases and for vets and farmers to set realistic farm-specific targets.
- A calendar of events: schedules flock treatments and highlights key dates.
- The facility to print off an easily referenced plan.
This system is aimed directly at supporting farmers and veterinary practices involved in SEERADs AHWM Programme but is available to other users through AHWM Programme accredited vets. It is available now and free to all users in Scotland.
Farmers wishing to use the system should contact either an accredited vet at their vet practice who will be able to register them on the system or email the Development officer: linsay.eaglesham@sac.co.uk.
You can access the Scottish Animal Health Planning System at www.sahps.co.uk
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