City & Guilds NPTC's Helen Moore explains how new Certificates of Competence will help to improve conditions for animals in transit.

Navigating the intricacies of new EU legislation requirements, City & Guilds NPTC has introduced Level 2 Certificates of Competence for the Transport of Animals.

With the aim of improving transportation standards for all species and promoting animal welfare, the certificates will become a transparent code to work by.

The EU regulation comes on the back of the Council Regulation (EC) No1/2005 which states that no animal shall be transported unless it is fit for the intended journey, and all animals shall be transported in conditions guaranteed not to cause them injury or unnecessary suffering.

As the certificates are EU-wide, there will finally be uniformity in standards across all member states, rather than a varied package of requirements in each country. It is hoped that this will help in the transportation of animals between countries.

City & Guilds NPTC has worked closely with Defra and has developed two Certificates of Competence in the Transport of Animals by Road for people transporting animals on short and long journeys.

This has been a challenging qualification as Defra was still amending its interpretation of the EU Regulation right up until its launch on 5 January 2007. As a result, although it needed to make a qualification available, NPTC was unable to finalise anything until after the launch date.

This meant that the qualifications needed to be presented to farmers and hauliers in a format that could be delivered in a fast and efficient manner.

The Global Online Assessment (GOLA) system, which enables you to test candidates anytime and anywhere in the world, was therefore chosen. NPTC's Certificate of Competence Assessment Centres were familiar with it, having already used it for the Pesticides Licence to Practise qualification.

The test can be downloaded onto a laptop that can be taken to the candidate if necessary.

Although candidates may in some cases be more mature and not computer proficient, NPTC Assessment Centres are confident that with a basic introduction this will not be a problem.

Once the GOLA bank had been drawn up for each species the questions needed to be tested to make sure they would be understood by farmers across the country.

It was critical that no regional or colloquial farming terms had slipped in that could cause confusion. Working with farming contacts throughout the country, the Technical Officer who managed the development of the certificates went out and worked with groups of farmers in order to gain feedback on the test.

This enabled any problem questions to be identified and amended appropriately. NPTC Assessment Centres are now geared up to deliver the short journey certificate, and are working closely with the local livestock markets and agricultural associations to make sure people who need to take the certificate are aware, and know how to go about it.

City & Guilds NPTC doesn't have an exact figure on how many farmers and hauliers will need to apply for the certificates before January next year when they become statutory, but as we are a nominated awarding body we need to be able to rise to the challenge.

The result will be that by 5 January 2008, when you see a Landrover and stock trailer go by, if it is travelling more than 65km the driver will have a City & Guilds NPTC qualification. A reassurance for industry and consumers alike.

Only those transporting animals over 65km but under eight hours need to take the NPTC Level 2 Certificate of Competence in the Transport of Animals by Road (Short Journeys).

For those transporting animals on journeys over eight hours candidates need to take the NPTC Level 2 Certificate of Competence in Long Distance Transport of Animals by Road.

The short journeys certificate is a GOLA-based multiple choice test covering legal requirements and responsibilities, responsibilities when transporting animals, journey planning, suitability of the vehicle, checking the animals' fitness to travel, causes and signs of stress in animals, space allowances, stocking densities and segregation requirements, handling and animal welfare during transit, and postjourney requirements.

The test is species-specific so it will be taken in the context of cattle, sheep, cattle and sheep, pigs, horses, poultry or game birds. More than one test may need to be taken depending on the number of species transported.

The assessment for the long journeys is divided into three units. Unit one is a multiple choice test on GOLA, based on the same areas as above but taking in to account the differences in the legislation that apply to long journeys.

Unit two is a practical assessment involving application of the above principles. Unit three is optional (if the candidate is also the driver of the vehicle) and involves the driving of an animal transport vehicle on a journey of not less than 15 miles, with a minimum 75% load on the vehicle.

Chris White hauls livestock for a living, but no load is on for more than eight hours, so the Level 2 Certificate of Competence in the Transport of Animals by Road (Short Journeys) met his needs.

Chris was given a copy of the regulation to have a look through for a couple of days, and he studied the parts that applied to cattle and sheep. He tackled the multiple choice questions, passing with ease; commenting: 'Most of that was common sense.'

Chris was able to apply years of experience to the tests, but they are designed to ensure everyone involved in the industry works to an equally high standard, whether a seasoned worker or just starting out.