Trading Standards

Business Advice

South Ayrshire Council's Trading Standards Service also deals with Animal Health & Welfare legislation. This involves mainly dealing with the welfare of farmed animals in transit, at markets, at abattoirs and on farm. We also inspect livestock movement records and other documentation that is required to be kept by the farming industry.

Trading Standards do not normally deal with issues involving the welfare of companion animals such as dogs, cats, and rabbits etc. Complaints to us about the welfare of companion animals are normally passed on to the SSPCA. Members of the public can contact the SSPCA direct on their website http://www.scottishspca.org/ or phoning 03000 999 999.

Some issues regarding the licenses required to own and operate pets shops are dealt with by our Environmental Health Service. Details of those can be found here - http://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/environmentalhealth/forms/petshop.aspx

Animal health and welfare

Registration

Any person keeping cattle, sheep or goats must, by law, register with the Scottish Government Rural Affairs Department and the State Veterinary Service.

They will be issued with a holding number, also known as a CPH number in the form of 69/123/1234.

The number relates to County (C) / Parish (P) / individual holding (H).

They will also receive a Herd or Flock number, depending on the species of animals kept. There is no charge for this. These numbers will be required when completing movement records etc.

If you live within South Ayrshire and you wish to register your holding please telephone SEERAD, in Ayr, on
01292 610188 and the SVS on 01292 268525.

Cattle Identification Regulations

• Ear tags: All cattle must be identified with 2 approved ear tags within the stated time limits.
• Dairy cattle must be tagged within 36 hours of birth and all other cattle tagged within 20 days of birth.
• Cattle Passports: Once the cattle have been ear tagged the livestock keeper must apply for a cattle
  passport from BCMS, within 7 days of applying the ear tags.
  A maximum of 27 days to apply for a cattle passport is allowed. Failure to apply within this time frame may mean that your passport application will be refused.

Cattle Movements: Cattle movements must be notified to the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) in Workington, Cumbria. You can access information regarding cattle on your own holding via the BCMS website. (You must register with BCMS first) http://www.bcms.gov.uk

Notification can be in the form of movement cards from the cattle passport, electronic notification or if cattle are sold through a Livestock Market then generally the Market Operator will notify BCMS of the cattle movements on your behalf.

Movement Records: All livestock keepers ( cattle, sheep, goats, pigs & deer)
must keep a record of all movements, a record of veterinary medicines administered, and in some cases, breeding records. If you are a livestock keeper within South Ayrshire you can request a new herd register book or an electronic version of herd registers/ flock records from Trading Standards.

Sheep & Goats Identification (Scotland) Regulations

Sheep and goats must be identified by means of an ear tag prior to movement form the holding.

Whenever sheep or goats are moved a movement document completed and accompany the sheep to their destination.

This Scottish Animal Movement Unit records this information on a national database which is used to trace all sheep and goat movements.

Should you require a new movement document booklet contact Trading Standards.

Pig Movements

• All pig movements must be accompanied by an appropriate licence.
• Movement of pigs from a farm require a Schedule 2 self declaration form.
• Movement of pigs from a farm for breeding, exhibition, artificial insemination or veterinary
  treatment require a Schedule 3 self declaration form.
• Movement of pigs on return to farm after movement from farm for breeding purposes require
  a Schedule 4 self declaration form.
• Movement of pigs from a collection centre require a Schedule 6 self declaration form.
• Movement of pigs other than a movement from a farm and on return after movement for certain
  purposes and from collection centres require a Schedule 7 movement licence issued by an
  inspector authorised under the animal health act 1981

Download a copy of these licences here.

No pigs can be moved off a holding if pigs have been moved onto the holding within 20 days except
where the pigs are being moved direct to slaughter.

Waste Food & Feeding Pigs

The Animal By Products Regulations 2003 ban the feeding of meat, fish and most other products of
animal origin to ruminants, pigs or poultry. They also make it an offence to allow them to have access
to such material and they prohibit any catering waste being fed whether processed or not.

Should bakery waste such as bread, rolls pastry etc are being fed to livestock then it must originate
from premises where no meat or most other products of animal origin are handled.

Further information and guidance can be found on the SEERAD website.

Standstill Periods:

A 'Standstill Period' of 13 days applies whenever cattle, sheep, goats are moved onto a holding.
A 20 day 'standstill' period applies when pigs are moved on.

This means that until the 'standstill' period expires no stock can be moved off of the premises other
than direct to slaughter animals.

There are however exceptions to the standstill period as well as separation agreements, which can
be put in place that allows flexibility for keepers. Details of these can be found on the SEERAD website.

Horse Passports

New Legislation came into place on the 16th May 2005 that requires all horses, ponies and other equines in Scotland to have a passport.

Download Guidance Leaflets

Further information can also be found on the SEERAD website.

Animal Transport

The Welfare of Animals Transport Order makes provisions to ensure the welfare of livestock is not compromised.

It is an offence to transport any animal unless

(a) It is fit for the intended journey, and
(b) Suitable provision has been made for its care during the journey and on arrival at the place of destination.

An animal shall not be considered fit for its intended journey if it is ill, injured, infirm or fatigued, unless
it is only slightly injured, ill, infirm or fatigued and the intended journey is not likely to cause it
unnecessary suffering.

Where a transporter transports animals in a vehicle with an internal length greater than 3.7m or
on a distance further than 50km then the transporter is required to complete an Animal Transport Certificate.

Further information on Animal Transport - and example Transport Certificates.

Further information on Animal Transport Journey Times.

Construction of Animal Transport Vehicles.

Livestock Markets

Sale of Calves

A calf which is less than 7 days old or which has an unhealed navel or has been to a market on two
or more occasions in the previous 28 days will not be permitted to enter a market. Furthermore should a calf be deemed to be ill, infirm or fatigued it will not be permitted to enter a market.

All calves must be removed 4 hours from the time the last calf was sold by auction. Calves must be able
to lie down at the same time. Calves must not be lifted or dragged by the head, neck, ears, horns, legs, feet, tail, or by cord ties around their necks.

Unfit Livestock

Unfit animals include ill, injured, fatigued animals and animals which are likely to give birth during
transport or have given birth during the past 48 hours.

If there are any doubts about an animal, do not transport it or enter it in a sale.

All bovine animals presented for sale at a Livestock Market must be properly identified with 2 approved
ear tags and accompanied with a valid cattle passport.

All sheep presented for sale must be identified by means of an approved eartag and accompanied
with a completed sheep movement document.

Animal By Products

The law regarding the disposal of fallen stock and other 'animal by-products' changed on 1st May 2003.
It is no longer legally acceptable to bury the carcases of fallen stock on farm land.

The government has participated in the start up of a national disposal scheme for fallen stock.