Guide to Revising

Revision – funnel your knowledge…

🧠 “Build your revision like a funnel — start wide with full notes, narrow it down to a clear guide, then finish with a short summary to keep the key points sharp for your practical.”

Revision process

🛠️ PREP STAGE – NOTES 

Collect everything you need. 

💡 BOOST STAGE – GUIDE 

Streamline what matters. 

🎯 LAUNCH STAGE – SUMMARY 

Focus on the essentials for your practical.

In farming terms….

“Grow your knowledge, harvest your confidence!”

🌱 Notes – Sowing ideas 

🌾 Guide – Growing understanding 

🚜 Summary – Harvesting key points

GFW Exam Revision Notes 🧠 🐄 🐂 🐖 🐑🌾 🚜

⚠️ Health & Safety (Core Knowledge + Law)

Key Concepts

• Hazard = something that can cause harm (e.g. PTO shaft)
• Risk = chance + severity of harm

Hierarchy of Control (know the order)

• Eliminate → remove hazard completely
• Reduce → safer alternative
• Isolate → guards/barriers
• PPE → last line (gloves, goggles)

👉 Exam trap: PPE is not the first control

⚠️ Key Machinery Laws

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)

What it means:

• Equipment must be safe, suitable, and maintained
• Only trained/competent people should use machinery
• Safety devices (guards, shields) must be in place

👉 Typical exam question: “What is required before using machinery?” ✔️ Correct answer = trained + equipment safe

🛠 Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 HASWA

What it means:

• Employer must provide:
  • Training
  • Safe systems of work
  • PPE
• Employee must:
  • Follow instructions
  • Take reasonable care

👉 Exam trap: Responsibility is both employer AND employee

🚛 Road Use (Tractors & Trailers) Road Traffic Act 1988

What it means:

• Vehicles must be:
  • Roadworthy
  • Properly maintained
• Loads must be:
  • Secure
  • Not dangerous

👉 Examples:

• Loose bale = illegal
• Faulty lights = illegal

🔧 Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER)

What it means:

• Lifting equipment must be:
  • Regularly inspected
  • Used safely
• Loads must be stable and secure

👉 Exam angle: Overloading or unstable loads = illegal + dangerous

⚡ PPE Requirements – Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992

What it means:

• PPE must be:
  • Provided
  • Suitable
  • Used correctly

👉 Examples:

• Ear defenders (machinery noise)
• Gloves (chemicals)

👉 Exam trap: PPE is last line of defence, not first

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)

🧪 Chemicals & Spraying Equipment

What it means:

• Assess risks from chemicals
• Use PPE
• Store and handle safely

👉 Example: Sprayer use without PPE = illegal

🔍 Daily Checks & Maintenance (Legal Expectation)

Linked to:

• Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)

Must check:

• Oil, coolant
• Tyres
• Lights
• Guards

👉 Exam angle: Using faulty equipment = breaking the law

🧠 How to Remember Machinery Laws (Without Losing the Will to Live)

🔑 1. The “Big 5” Memory Hack

Forget trying to remember everything — drill this:

PUWER – LOLER – HSW – RTA – COSHH

👉 Turn it into something memorable:

“Please Lift Heavy Rough Concrete Safely”

• P → Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
• L → Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998
• H → Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
• R → Road Traffic Act 1988
• C → Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002

👉 They don’t need perfect recall — just enough to recognise the correct option.

🚜 2. Match the Law to the Situation

Think like this:

👉 Exams are usually just this in disguise

🧩 3. The “What’s the Risk?” Trick

Instead of remembering laws, ask:

👉 “What could go wrong here?”

• Machine breaks → PUWER
• Load falls → LOLER
• Chemical burns → COSHH
• Crash on road → RTA

👉 Brain links risk → law automatically

⚠️ 4. The “3 Always Rules”

If they forget everything else, remember this:

SAFE – TRAINED – MAINTAINED

Every correct answer usually includes one of these:

• Safe system
• Trained operator
• Maintained equipment

👉 If an option ignores these → it’s probably wrong

🧴 Biosecurity

Key Actions

• Clean/disinfect boots
• Quarantine new animals
• Control visitors

👉 Prevents disease entering farm

Law Link

• Animal Health Act 1981

🚜 Machinery & Transport

Daily Checks

• Oil → prevents engine damage
• Tyres → safety + stability
• Lights → visibility

Safe Use

• No passengers unless seat
• Keep loads stable and secure
• Visibility – lights + clean windows

Laws

• Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)
• Road Traffic Act 1988

👉 Unsafe machinery use = legal offence

🛠 Maintenance

Why Important

• Reduces breakdowns
• Maintains efficiency
• Improves safety

👉 Example: Blunt blades → poor cut + higher fuel use

Law Link

• Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)

📋 Records & Medicines

Must Record

• Medicine used
• Animal treated
• Date + dosage

👉 Ensures traceability

Key Law

• Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013

👉 Withdrawal periods:

• Prevent residues entering food chain

👉 Selling too early = illegal

🐄🐑🐖 Digestive Systems

Ruminants (Cattle & Sheep) 🐄🐑

• Rumen = fermentation vat (microbes break down fibre)
• Reticulum = traps foreign objects
• Omasum = absorbs water
• Abomasum = “true stomach” (acid digestion)

👉 Allows use of grass, silage, hay

Monogastric (Pigs) 🐖

• Simple stomach with acid digestion
• Limited fibre digestion → rely on concentrates

👉 Diet must be higher quality + more digestible

Law Link

Animal Feed Regulations 2010

• 👉 Feed must be:
  • Safe
  • Stored correctly
  • Free from contamination

👶 Reproduction

Oestrus Cycle

Heat Signs

• Standing to be mounted (most reliable sign)
• Mounting others
• Increased activity

Gestation

👉 EXAM trap: mixing up sheep and pigs

Law Link

Animal Welfare Act 2006

• 👉 Must:
  • Monitor animals during birth
  • Intervene if needed
  • Provide clean environment

🐄🐑🐖 Youngstock

• Calf (cow)
• Lamb (sheep)
• Piglet (pig)

👉 Often appears as simple recall question

🐄 Animal Health

Key Signs

• Reduced intake → early illness indicator
• Lameness → pain/injury
• Isolation → stress/disease
• Discharge → infection

Species Differences

• Cattle → lameness common (foot issues)
• Sheep → flystrike risk in warm weather
• Pigs → respiratory disease in poor ventilation

Key Law

Animal Health Act 1981

👉 Gives government powers to control outbreaks

Notifiable Diseases

🐄 Cattle

• Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) → chronic disease, weight loss, coughing
• Brucellosis → abortion, fertility issues
• Anthrax → sudden death, very serious (also risk to humans)

🐑 Sheep & Goats

• Scrapie → nervous signs, itching, loss of coordination
• Bluetongue → swelling, lameness, ulcers (spread by midges)

🐖 Pigs

• African Swine Fever → severe, high mortality, no treatment
• Classical Swine Fever → fever, haemorrhages, very contagious

👉 Legal duty: report immediately

🧠If you suspect a notifiable disease:

• Report to employer / supervisor
• 🚫 Do NOT move animals
• 📞 Report immediately (APHA in the UK)
• 🧼 Lock down biosecurity

💧 Feeding & Water

Key Principles

• Water = most important nutrient
• Intake drops quickly if water unavailable

Feeding by Stage

• Young → protein (growth)
• Lactating → energy (milk production)
• Finishing → energy (weight gain)

👉 Poor feed = poor performance + welfare issue

Law Link

• Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations 2007

👉 Requires:

• Adequate diet
• Constant access to clean water

❤️ Five Welfare Needs (LEGAL REQUIREMENT)

From:

• Animal Welfare Act 2006

Expanded

1. Environment → shelter, dry bedding, ventilation
2. Diet → correct nutrition + water
3. Behaviour → ability to graze/root/move
4. Social → correct grouping
5. Protection → prompt treatment

👉 EXAM trap: missing one or adding a fake one

🐑 Livestock Handling

Principles

• Calm movement reduces stress hormones
• Stress reduces productivity and increases injury risk

Behaviour

• Sheep → follow flock instinct
• Cattle → move in groups, follow leader
• Pigs → dislike pressure, need guidance

Law Link

• Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations 2007

👉 Handling must:

• Avoid injury
• Avoid unnecessary stress

🌾 Crops & Forage

Crop Specification

• Milling wheat → high protein for bread
• Malting barley → low nitrogen for brewing

👉 Quality affects price

Grassland

• Too short → weak regrowth (plant stressed)
• Too long → stemmy, low nutrition

Crop Problems

• Yellowing → nutrient deficiency (often nitrogen)
• Patchy growth → soil compaction/drainage

Law Link

• Environmental Protection Act 1990

👉 Illegal to:

• Pollute water
• Mismanage waste

🌍 Soil

Key Points

• pH affects nutrient availability
• Ideal pH ~6–7 (most crops)
• Lime raises pH

👉 Wet soil → compaction damage

♻️ Sustainability

Key Practices

• Crop rotation → reduces pests/disease
• Cover crops → protect soil
• Buffer strips → protect water

Scheme

• Environmental Land Management Scheme

👉 Pays farmers for environmental work