Day in the life of . .

Enforcement Officer in the Business Compliance Section.

I arrive at the office and return a call to a farmer confirming our appointment for a farm visit later today. I ensure I have all the necessary equipment ready for the visit to the market I will be making this morning – protective clothing, disinfectant spray etc.

I visit one of the 11 livestock markets located in North Yorkshire, which in total account for over 1130 market days per year. I watch a number of animals being offloaded from the transport vehicles, checking to see that they are fit and well, have the correct identification and that they have been transported safely, in an appropriate vehicle. A farmer approaches me and asks advice on some new legislation. I give him brief details but arrange to send out some written guidance when I return to the office. Once the animals are offloaded, I carry out some checks on the vehicles to ensure that the hauliers and farmers are cleaning and disinfecting their vehicles as required. I inspect some more stock to check their welfare, that there are no signs of disease and that the animals are correctly identified. Animals need to be correctly identified so that they can be traced back to their owners, in the event of any disease outbreak. I spot an animal which does not have its required ear tags. I speak to the operators of the market and locate the owner of the animal. I tell him that the animal cannot be sold and I licence its return to the owner’s farm. I take his details and explain to him what he has done wrong. He is obviously quite worried by this, so I explain it all in plain language and try to keep him calm.

I leave the market and grab some lunch, on route to visiting one of the 9,000 agricultural premises recorded as operating in North Yorkshire I go through the farmers’ movement records with them, indicating what is required by law and what is best practice. There are several issues with the records, so I advise them of what action they need to take and ask them to send back a corrective action sheet once it has been done. We discuss issues currently affecting farming and I ask the farmers if they would like to receive the Animal Health Newsletter, a newsletter produced by trading and regulatory services on current issues and they agree.

I head back towards the office, but on route, I get a call from my line manager. A complaint has been received from a member of the public that there are animal carcasses in a field. I arrange to meet a colleague there.

I meet up with my colleague and we set off to find the carcasses. Under disease control legislation, it is not permitted for carcasses to be left on land for any length of time. We find the carcasses. I take photographs of them and make comprehensive notes in my notebook. We establish whom the carcasses belong to, using local knowledge of the area and locate the farmer. We then serve a disposal notice on the farmer, requiring him to dispose of the carcasses. When I return to the office, I will prepare a report of the incident, which I will discuss with my line manager.

Waiting for me on my desk, upon my return to the office is a “job well done” card, a card we give to everyone we visit, asking for their feedback. This one is from a farmer I visited several weeks ago, thanking me for my help. It’s when cards like this are received, that you realise you are making a difference.

I check my e-mails and make arrangements for the following day, when I will be meeting up with the police who are assisting us in carrying out mobile checks on vehicles carrying livestock.

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