Farming and agriculture

If you come across any of the following dead wild birds, report them to the DEFRA helpline at 03459335577:

• Waterfowl (e.g., swans, geese, ducks)
• Gulls
• Birds of prey

Do not touch or pick up any dead or visibly sick birds that are found. For further information see DEFRA's guidance on How to report a dead wild bird (gov.uk) (opens new window)

Wiltshire has a small and dedicated team of Animal Health and Welfare Officers. As Wiltshire is a unitary authority they enforce a variety of legislation designed to help protect the human food change, animal health and welfare.

The Animal Health Team deals with complaints regarding:

• livestock health and welfare on farms
• in transit
• in markets
• at abattoirs

If you have any concerns about the environmental impact caused by the keeping of livestock, e.g. noise, smells or vermin, further information can be found on the Environmental protection section of our website.

Concerns regarding companion or wild animals

Any concerns regarding companion or wild animal welfare should be reported to the RSPCA on their dedicated 24 helpline 0300 1234999.

Issues related to horse passports should be reported to our animal health team and horse welfare issues should be reported to the RSPCA.

If you need to report a lost or stray dog please contact our dog warden team.

Dead animals on the highway should be reported to the Highways department.

Concerns regarding health and welfare of a livestock

If you have any concerns related to the health and welfare of a livestock species and you are unable to discuss with the owners directly you can contact our animal health team: animalhealth@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

Notifiable animal diseases

It is difficult to predict when a notifiable disease will occur but it is important that farmers and animal owners are vigilant to the signs of disease and take appropriate action to report any suspected cases without undue delay. Further information can be found at Notifiable diseases in animals (gov.uk) (opens new window).

Bluetongue virus

Bluetongue is a notifiable disease meaning all suspected cases must be reported to the Government.  Further information and guidance can be found at Bluetongue: how to spot and report it (gov.uk) (opens new window) 

The bluetongue restricted zones have now extended to include areas of Wiltshire. View the APHA Bluetongue virus map (opens new window) to view infected areas

How to reduce the risks

• You can help reduce the risks by ensuring good biosecurity on your farm and have plans in place to help prevent and contain the spread in the case of an outbreak.
• Defra approved disinfectant: when and how to use it (opens new window)
• Details on what to look for can be found at Notifiable diseases in animals (gov.uk) (opens new window)

If you suspect a notifiable disease

You must report it to your regional Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) office immediately, via: Animal and Plant Health Agency (gov.uk) (opens new window).

Avian Influenza and registering birds

Following an increase in the number of detections of avian influenza (bird flu) in wild birds and on commercial premises, the Chief Veterinary Officers from England, Scotland and Wales have declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) across Great Britain to mitigate the risk of the disease spreading amongst poultry and captive birds.

It is now a legal requirement for all bird keepers in Great Britain to follow strict biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks from the threat of avian flu.

Good biosecurity is an essential defence against AI and is key to limiting the spread of this disease in an outbreak. The disease control measures apply to pet/captive birds, pigeons or commercial flocks. Further advice on Biosecurity and preventing welfare impacts in poultry and captive birds can be found at DEFRA: Biosecurity and preventing welfare impacts in poultry and captive birds (opens new window).

In England and Wales, it is now mandatory to register your flock regardless of the number. Keepers will also be legally required to update their information on an annual basis. This can be done at How to register as a keeper of less than 50 poultry or other captive birds (gov.uk) (opens new window)

There is also an alert service available where you can keep up to date with the latest news from APHA. This can be done at APHA animal disease alert subscription service (opens new window).

Animal Health officers carry out routine and reactive visits in relation to feed and food hygiene. They carry out inspections on farms, at manufacturers, and wholesalers.

They aim to ensure that the feed is safe not only for the consumption by animals, but the latter effect on humans when animals enter the food chain.

The The Animal Feed (England) Regulations 2015 (gov.uk) (opens new window) require feed (and some food) businesses to register with Trading Standards if they carry out certain activities. If your business carries out any of the following, then it is likely that the legislation applies and you should be registered:

• manufacturing animal feeds
• marketing animal feeds
• importing animal feeds
• storing animal feeds
• transporting animal feeds and grain
• food businesses supplying co-products or surplus food as feeds
• carrying out on-farm mixing
• feeding food-producing animals (livestock)
• growing crops to be used as animal feeds
• manufacturing or rebranding pet food
• carrying out other controlled activities

Apply

To apply for registration, please complete our application form here: Feed Hygiene Registration Form (Word doc, 398 KB)(opens new window).

You can find guidance on code and activity descriptions for the application on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website: Starting an animal feed business (food.gov.uk) (opens new window).

If you need to tell us about changes to your registration, please contact us: animalhealth@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

Feed Hygiene visits

The frequency of inspections is based on risk to the feed and food chain as set out in the Feed Hygiene code of practice. Generally, you'll be contacted in advance to arrange a convenient date and time for the inspection to take place, though we are able to carry out unannounced ones as well.

The inspection aims to check that your business has adequate systems in place to ensure that any hazards which may affect the safety of the feed chain are minimised. Areas that we may look at include but are not limited to:

• storage of feed
• cleanliness of mixing equipment
• livestock tagging and records
• medicine records and storage
• on-farm bio-security
• proper disposal of fallen stock
• trailers or other vehicles used to transport livestock, including any animal transport certificates and cleanliness.

We will aim to advise on best practice in order to help you improve your systems where necessary. The aim of the inspection is to monitor compliance with the The Animal Feed (England) Regulations 2015 (gov.uk) (opens new window), and where necessary to provide information and advice to feed business operators. This is also a good opportunity to discuss with the visiting officer any queries you may have with relevant legislation.

Making and selling pet food

If you are thinking about starting a business making or rebranding pet food and treats, there is a range of legislation you must follow to ensure that what you make and sell is safe. Getting this right from the start can save you time and money, helping to develop a successful business. 

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has good guidance on how to set up a pet food business Pet food (food.gov.uk) (opens new window).

For information on making pet food, see the Business Companion guide: Manufacturing your own pet foods (businesscompanion.info) (opens new window).

For information on selling pet food see the Business Companion guide: Retail sale of pet food (businesscompanion.info) (opens new window).

It's a legal requirement for you to be registered as an animal feed business. Once we have received your application an officer will be in contact to discuss your plans, offer advice and where necessary arrange to visit your business.

It may be necessary for an Animal Health Officer to occasionally visit your farm to inspect the premises. The officer may look at a variety of things such as Feed and Food Hygiene, records (veterinary/herd books etc.), animal accommodation and welfare.

Although officers try to keep general inspections to a minimum, if a complaint has been received then this will have to be investigated and may involve frequent visits. 

An Animal Health Officer will always identify themselves and state why they are visiting.

Under a variety of legislation, obstructing an Animal Health Officer is an offence.

All movements must be recorded and reported to the appropriate agency. On-farm movement records must be kept to record all movements on and off the holding, births, deaths and replacement tags.

This was was introduced to control the movement of a range of farm animals such as sheep, pigs and goats, to prevent the spread of disease. The conditions which apply to these movements depends on the type of animal and the destination. 

Make sure you're aware of your responsibilities as a livestock owner. You can find all the details and the latest conditions on the DEFRA website: Keeping farmed animals (gov.uk) (opens new window).

A template movement record book can be found here: Sheep and goat keepers: template holding register (gov.uk) (opens new window).

Straying livestock

It is the responsibility of a livestock owner to prevent their livestock straying and they may be liable for damages caused by straying livestock. For more information see the: Animals Act 1971 (legislation.gov.uk) (opens new window).

If livestock has strayed on to your private land, contact the farmer to let them know. If the animals have caused any damage, this is a civil matter between the land owner and farmer.

If you see livestock straying on a public highway, contact the Police on 101.

If you are sending animals to slaughter, you will need to complete a food chain information form.

Guidance can be found on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website: Food chain information (food.gov.uk) (opens new window).