Animal health and welfare framework: 2020 to 2022

This framework provides a risk based approach to animal health and welfare duties carried out by local authorities.


Annex A: Definitions and glossary for the purposes of this document

Agent: A person who acts on behalf of another in the buying and/or selling of animals who may not own or rent land.

Animal Gathering: "An occasion at which two or more animals are brought together for any purpose, other than an occasion—

  • where the animals present are owned or kept by a person other than a market operator; or
  • that takes place on land in respect of which more than one person has a right of use, and where the animals present are owned or kept by persons who have such a right;''

Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA): A GB wide organisation dealing with animal health, public health, animal welfare and international trade.

Border Control Posts: Locations in ports and airports to check phytosanitary standards of animals or products pf animal origin entering the EU

Critical Control Area (CCA): A business, premises, or location at which controls can be applied resulting in the reduction in risk of the introduction or spreading of notifiable disease in Scotland.

Dealer (livestock): The Brucellosis (Scotland) Order 2009 defines:

"Dealer in bovine animals" - any person whose trade or business regularly includes the selling of bovine animals purchased by that person for the purpose of resale within 28 days.

They may or may not be a high risk trader. If cattle are being sold for onward rearing or breeding it is likely they will be a high risk trader.

Defra: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

FSS: Food Standards Scotland

High risk traders: High risk traders gather animals from multiple locations and move them, or animals from that unit, to other locations for onward production – usually within a short time scale.

Inspection: Inspection can include the following interventions: physical visit, postal record checks, business self-assessment (incl. questionnaires), other alternative intervention methods

Large Markets: Includes multiple species markets and markets with single species with large numbers of cattle (200+) or sheep (1500+).

Livestock: For the purposes of this document livestock includes cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and poultry and any other farmed species kept for the purposes of or involved in the production of food for the human food chain (e.g. rabbits, farmed fish).

Local Authority: In the application of the Animal Health Act 1981 to Scotland "local authority" means a council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.

Market: Defined in the Welfare of Animals at Markets Order 1990 as:

"market" means a market place or sale-yard or any other premises or place to which animals are brought from other places and exposed for sale and includes any lairage adjoining a market and used in connection with it and any place adjoining a market used as a parking area by visitors to the market for parking vehicles.

Markets: Also includes horse and poultry markets

OFFC: Regulation (EC) 882/2004 on Official Feed and Food Controls

Operating Hours (Markets and Animal Gatherings): Times when the animal gathering would normally be receiving and handling animals.

OV: Official Veterinarian

Premises: Includes any land, building or other place (Animal Health Act 1981)

Quality Assurance Procedures: Includes regular auditing, by line managers, of inspections and revisits (including auditing against the local authority's own guidance)

SGRPID: The Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate

Slaughterhouse/ Abattoir: Also includes horse and poultry slaughterhouses/ abattoirs and includes slaughterhouse/abattoirs used for compulsory and welfare disposal schemes where the animals are not entering the human food chain

Red meat abattoir throughput: EU livestock Unit (ELU) = 1 cattle beast = 5 pigs = 10 sheep

Low throughput = less than 1000 ELU average annual throughput

Medium throughput = more than 1000 ELU and less than 30,000 ELU average annual throughput

High throughput = more than 30,000 ELU average annual throughput

White meat abattoir throughput: Low throughput = less than 10,000 average annual throughput

Medium/High throughput = more than 10,000 average annual throughput

Service Plan (SP): A document completed and agreed annually by each local authority and their APHA Veterinary Lead that takes account of the local authority Profile and details the level of delivery of service relating to the various functions, activities and content of work areas covered in the Framework. As laid out in Annex C.

Veterinary Lead (VL): Senior veterinarian in APHA with responsibility for professional decisions and leadership

WIT Team: Welfare in Transport team at APHA Carlisle dealing with statutory returns and other matters under the relevant legislation

Contact

Email: animal.health@gov.scot

Back to top