EPA 17

Conduct documentary and physical checks as part of export health certificate requirements.

Conduct checks on the chain of certification and on the live animals, including pets, or products of animal origin (POAO) leaving the UK, to comply with the relevant legislation and export health certificate requirements.

Checks on live animals and POAO, including germinal products, leaving the UK are essential for maintaining confidence of our trading partners and safeguarding animal health, welfare, public health and facilitating free trade. Checks must be carried out in a systematic and consistent way to comply with legislation covering animal welfare, animal and public health, the specific requirements of the relevant export health certificate, and principles of certification. Export health certificates are required for exporting live animals and POAO from the UK.

Checks can also include those relating to animal welfare ‘fitness’ checks, verification/countersigning for the export of germinal products, and inspection of zoological collections/establishments.

Other relevant contributions may include wider activities relating to market access requests and export audits, relating to facilitation of trade.

To have effectively carried out checks on live animals and animal products and the supporting documentation, such as test results, before export from the UK in a systematic way and showing regard for animal health and welfare, food safety and trade. It could also include the use or completion of attestation documents, such as Support Attestations under the principles of veterinary certification.

To perform this role across the full range of relevant contexts including different:

• Animal species
• Storage, preservation and labelling requirements for POAO

There is the potential for all domains within the RCVS Day One Competences to be relevant to this EPA, however the key areas involved in performance of this activity/area of practice are as follows:

Veterinary capability

• One Health/public health
• Individual animal
• Animal population care and management

Reflective relationships

• Communication
• Collaboration

Personal leadership

• Adaptability
• Professionalism