Animal health and welfare framework: 2020 to 2022

Section 6: Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) activity matrix

6.1 APHA is a government executive agency with a key role in ensuring that farmed animals in Great Britain are free from notifiable disease and well looked after and by doing so supports the farming industry, protects the welfare of farmed animals and safeguard public health from animal borne disease.

6.2 APHA recognises the importance of working with all partner agencies in preventing where possible and mitigating where necessary, the impacts of notifiable animal disease, and taking forward the Scottish Government's wider objectives in animal health and welfare.

6.3 The matrix reflects the range of activities likely to be carried put be APHA in supporting the Framework.

Animal and Plant Health Agency Activity Matrix

1. Planning the delivery of the local authority animal health and welfare function

Content and relevant outcomes

1.1 Provide a named local contact in addition to the Veterinary Lead (VL) for routine communication on local authority matters

Outcomes: 3 and 5

Priority Activity

Key contact identified and local authority notified of contact details and arrangements (including any changes to nominated personnel).

Content and relevant outcomes

1.3 Local Authority Service Delivery Plan and Profile

Outcomes: 3, 4 and 5

Priority Activity

Liaise with local authorities regarding service delivery and where necessary comment and provide veterinary input on service delivery plans.

Deliver and support local authorities in the delivery of the service plans agreed.

Ensure local liaison arrangements are in place between LA and APHA to discuss national, regional and local priorities.

Content and relevant outcomes

1.4 Risk Assessment

Outcomes: 1, 2, 5 and 6

Priority Activity

Provide the veterinary assessment, where necessary, to support premise risk assessment in accordance with the local authority national risk scheme detailed in Section 4.

APHA to add local knowledge to risk assessment when relevant.

2. Training and development

Content and relevant outcomes

2.1 Train VLs and nominated local representatives

Outcomes: 5

Priority Activity

Provide appropriate Framework training to enable VLs and nominated representatives to provide support for local authorities on Framework issues.

Content and relevant outcomes

2.2 Provide veterinary and/or technical staff support to the local authority

Outcomes: 3 and 5

Priority Activity

Provide programme of enforcement training for veterinary and technical field staff including procedures to support local authority staff when called upon to act as professional witnesses in prosecutions.

3. Licensing Activities

Content and relevant outcomes

3.1 Licensing of animal movements

Outcomes: 1 and 4

Priority Activity

To act on referrals to revoke the general licence.

4. Education and advice to maximise compliance

Content and relevant outcomes

4.1 Support National and Regional Animal Health and Welfare Panels and the Strategy Group providing information and guidance to assist local authorities in addressing areas of concern in the region

Outcomes: 1, 2, 5 and 6

Priority Activity

Provide access to information in accordance with the requirements of the relevant legislation.

Use of central government website (gov.uk) to publicise services and provide information.

VL to work with local authorities to secure a "standard" invitation to attend with agenda item at the regional panels.

APHA will prioritise attendance to the Regional Panels when invited, and if asked to do so will provide speakers for suitable themes.

Content and relevant outcomes

4.2 Hold liaison meetings with suitable representatives of local authorities and where appropriate, other interested parties.

Outcomes: 3, 4, 5 and 6

Priority Activity

Actively participate in liaison meetings to facilitate discussion on local, regional and national issues and take any necessary action on a local/regional level.

5. Enforcement Activities to maximise animal health and welfare compliance

Content and relevant outcomes

5.1 Provide veterinary and/or technical staff support to the local authority, or arrange suitable alternative support.

Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6

Priority Activity

Reports of adverse welfare of livestock will be assessed by an APHA vet and all reports assessed as high priority will trigger a visit within one calendar day of notification. Investigations will be carried out according to the principles of the MOU with Scottish SPCA and local authorities.

Approval/licensing procedures - liaise with local authority regarding applications and proposed visits e.g. ABP and assembly centre applications. APHA is responsible for the evaluation of BCP facilities, documentation and procedures in Great Britain.

APHA will support enforcement through the use of dedicated enforcement and investigative officers, especially in complex investigations where offending crosses multiple authority areas and involves a network of individuals or companies or businesses

6. Reactive and intelligence driven enforcement

Content and relevant outcomes

6.1 Provide up to date information on registered livestock keepers in the local authority area

Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

Priority Activity

Provide information on registered livestock keepers on an annual basis.

Provide and receive information in accordance with GDPR the animal health & welfare data sharing statement agreed between local authorities and APHA.

Comply with GDPR requirements

Content and relevant outcomes

6.2 Provide an overview of the national performance picture

Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

Priority Activity

Provide information/updates on current national issues affecting animal health and welfare to regional panels, national panel and national strategy groups and on an

ad hoc basis in fast moving situations.

APHA will provide intelligence logs with regard to suspected offending and closely liaise with FSS FCIU and can recommend areas for investigation to the FCIU on behalf of local authorities.

APHA will ensure that level 1 and level 2 intelligence is logged onto MEMEX

7. Post enforcement reporting

Content and relevant outcomes

7.1. Reporting on enforcement activity

Priority Activity

APHA enforcement and investigation officers to report to LA strategy group on a quarterly basis on APHA enforcement activity.

8. Contingency planning and emergency action

Content and relevant outcomes

8.1 Responding to emergencies

Outcomes: 1,3,5 and 6

Priority Activity

Provide a 24 hour reporting service for animal health and welfare emergencies by operating a duty Veterinary Inspector system.

Telephone numbers are published on the website (gov.uk) https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency

To support multi-agency workshops to develop or consolidate contingency planning.

Ensure a fully joined up response to outbreaks of disease and aim to build close links with delivery partners to ensure they are appropriately engaged during incidents.

Content and relevant outcomes

8.2 Participation in training exercises for emergency preparedness (or an alternative option, where the number of local authority participants is unwieldy)

Outcomes: 1, 3, 5 and 6

Priority Activity

Work closely with policy customers and operational partners; design and deliver a challenging programme of exotic animal disease exercises locally, regionally and nationally. To organise a regional or national exercise on an annual basis with multiagency partners.

9. Additional Activities

Content and relevant outcomes

9.1 National Priorities

Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6

Priority Activity

Communicate policy and priority updates to local authority directly of via Strategy Group or Regional Panels.

Agree national priorities with Scottish Government and communicate with local authorities

Content and relevant outcomes

9.2 Regional Priorities

Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6

Priority Activity

Agree regional priorities, including regional initiatives, with local authorities

Content and relevant outcomes

9.3 Local Priorities

Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6

Priority Activity

Agree local priorities with local authorities based on knowledge and intelligence.