Form

OV35: Terms of business for OV services in Scotland

Published 5 August 2024

Applies to Scotland

It is the responsibility of the practice to ensure that the following conditions are adhered to:

1 Individuals working as OVs must hold current Official Control Qualifications (Veterinarian) (OCQ(V)s) for the work that they carry out, be full members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and be appointed to act as an OV by APHA. See Appendix 1 Policy For Authorisation Of Official Veterinarians (OVs) In Great Britain.

2 OVs must comply with all OV instructions, as well as with legal and professional responsibilities, biosecurity and health and safety. They must know and comply with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Code of Conduct.

• All OV work must be undertaken in full compliance with operational and legislative requirements in force at the time the work is undertaken.
• OVs must show due care whilst carrying out official duties in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and any other relevant acts, orders, regulations and codes of practice relating to health & safety, particularly with regard to the danger of injury & zoonoses.
• Where an OV deems the test/investigation too dangerous they must abandon it until any issues, e.g. lack of appropriate handling facilities, are resolved. The circumstances should be reported to APHA as soon as possible. APHA will support OVs in any appropriately evidenced decision to withdraw from a test on health and safety grounds.
• It is not appropriate to cut corners on the test procedure on the grounds of health and safety. It is the legal duty of the Keeper to present animals for testing in a secure manner.
• OVs must maintain strict biosecurity whilst carrying out official tasks including use of approved disinfectants.
• Full guidance on OV instructions including standard operating procedures, biosecurity and health & safety standards can be found at http://ahvla.defra.gov.uk/official-vets/index.htm
• OVs must comply with RCVS requirements for certification. This includes not undertaking any work requiring certification where they have a financial interest in the animal including ownership or employment by the owner.

3 Official tasks must not be undertaken unless they have been allocated to the practice by APHA in advance.

4 OVs must report any suspicion of notifiable disease to APHA without delay.

5 OVs must have access to the current OV instructions on the GOV.UK website.

6 The OV practice must have a system of quality assurance which is able to demonstrate that work is being delivered to the required standards.

7 APHA reserves the right to carry out unannounced inspections on OVs to ensure that work is being delivered to the required standards.

8 The OV practice will facilitate APHA inspection of OV practices by prior arrangement to inspect quality assurance systems and any equipment which is being used to perform official duties.

9 Where an OV fails to meet the required standard, APHA will investigate and, depending on the outcome, may reserve the right to either suspend OCQ(V)s pending further training or to terminate their appointment.

10 Where an OV is suspected of negligence, fraud or other gross misconduct whilst carrying out official tasks APHA will investigate and may also report the OV to the RCVS and to other enforcement bodies as necessary e.g. Local authorities or Police.

11 The OV practice must be able to accept work allocations and submit results electronically. Where poor connectivity prevents electronic submission, the OV practice must obtain an exemption from APHA in advance.

12 With the exception of tuberculin, all materials and equipment must be provided by the practice at the practice’s own expense.

1. Tuberculin Testing

13 The Test Arranged Date (TAD) and time must be entered on SAM at least seven days in advance of the test taking place; if a test is arranged with less notice the OV must also notify APHA directly to enable coordination of cattle identification and OV inspections.

14 If it is anticipated that all animals eligible animals will not be tested in one day, the OV must notify APHA in advance, otherwise additional visit fees will not apply.

15 During a TB test the keeper must account for all cattle present on the premises and those identified by the Cattle Tracing System (CTS), as registered on the premises. The OV must assign a ‘not tested’ reason for all untested cattle based on their eligibility and information provided by the keeper. If a keeper has not provided sufficient information for the OV to assign a ‘not tested reason’ for any cattle, the test should be submitted as a part test and APHA informed. Any discrepancies must be reported to APHA.

16 The OV must provide appropriate advice to the keeper on prevention and control of bovine tuberculosis during the course of the test.

17 The OV is responsible for advising the keeper of TB test results and providing a copy of the test results to the keeper where requested.

18 Where Reactors (Rs) or Inconclusive Reactors (IRs) are disclosed the OV is required to provide the keeper with information on automatic herd restrictions and isolation requirements. Rs and IRs must be reported to APHA by telephone within one working day. Results of a test or part test must be entered on SAM within one working day.

19 Where no Rs or IRs are disclosed, results of a test or part test must be entered on SAM within five (5) working days.

2. Tuberculin Testing of Camelids and other non-bovine species

20 OVs carrying out tuberculin testing of camelids and other non-bovine species must contact APHA in advance to provide assurance they are competent at the procedure.

3. Anthrax Investigations

21 OVs must obtain a history of any sudden death from the keeper and contact APHA to receive authorisation before conducting an investigation.

22 Once authorised, OVs must conduct Anthrax Investigations within one (1) working day of notification by the keeper in order to minimise spread of disease and comply with Animal By-Product Regulations governing carcase disposal.

23 Where disease cannot be negated, the OV must contact APHA without delay.

24 Where disease can be negated, the OV must complete form AN02 and return to APHA within five (5) working days.

4. Brucellosis investigations

25 OVs must obtain a history of any abortions from the keeper and contact APHA before conducting an investigation.

26 OVs must conduct Brucellosis investigations (BS7) within one (1) working day of notification by the keeper in order to minimise spread of disease and comply with Animal By-Product Regulations governing foetus disposal. Once obtained, samples should be submitted to the appropriate laboratory without delay along with form BS7.

27 Authorisation must be obtained from APHA before conducting Brucellosis check testing. If authorised, samples should be submitted to the appropriate laboratory without delay along with form BS5(a).

5. Payment terms

28 APHA reserves the right to withhold payment for statutory tasks where these terms are not adhered to.

29 The scale of fees is contained within document OV19(S).

30 The OV practice must submit a single invoice in a format agreed by APHA for all work completed in a month (including the submission of results/reports) by the 28th day of the following month.

31 APHA will make payment to the OV practice within 10 working days of receiving the invoice providing it is properly presented and undisputed.

6. Appendix 1

Policy For Authorisation Of Official Veterinarians (OVs) In Great Britain