Three practical tasks. One professional approach.
The apprentice guide describes three practical observations: assessing feed supply, selecting livestock for a business purpose, and moving and handling five animals for health checks or treatment. In each task, explain your plan, work safely, keep welfare and biosecurity central, record what you do and review the outcome.
Task 1 — Assess feed supply Quality, quantity, nutrition and financial viability
Task brief: Assess the quality and quantity of the feed available for the livestock group. Link the diet to the animals’ needs and performance, evaluate its financial viability, and identify improvements to the current feed policy.
Before and during the task
- Define the livestock group, its nutritional demand and the period to cover.
- Identify grass, forage crops and bought-in feeds, and compare their nutrients with the group’s requirements.
- Estimate intake per head × group size × days; compare total dry-matter demand with feed available.
- Inspect dry matter, smell, colour, texture, mould, heating, storage and contamination risks; use feed analysis where available.
- Check water supply and account for differences in intake between animal groups.
- Compare feed costs with performance measures such as milk yield, growth, fertility or body condition.
- Record findings, calculate days of feed available, and explain actions needed.
Pass evidence
Identify grass, forage and bought-in feeds. Explain how you check quality and quantity so the diet supplies appropriate nutrition for the animals and supports performance KPIs. Show how you monitor and evaluate the financial viability of diets.
Distinction evidence
Review the current feeding policy: explain what works, what could improve, and recommend evidence-based changes to enhance performance. For example, use silage analysis to adjust a ration for a target growth rate or milk yield.
Watch for: ignoring dry matter, overlooking group differences, forgetting water, or describing a feed without linking it to demand, performance and cost.
Open the interactive Task 1 feed calculator and quizTask 2 — Select livestock for a business purpose Selection, documentation, resources and movement planning
Task brief: Select and prepare livestock to meet a business specification, such as internal transfer, sale, or readiness for breeding or milking. Prepare the documentation and allocate the people, equipment, transport and facilities needed.
Before and during the task
- Confirm the purpose and specification, including weight, breed, body condition and readiness.
- Identify candidate animals and check their condition, mobility and health against the specification.
- Assess and communicate risks to the IEPA and relevant staff; put suitable controls in place.
- Prepare accurate EID, passport, movement and health documentation as required.
- Allocate staff, suitable handling/holding areas and transport; communicate the plan clearly.
- Plan movement in line with health and safety and the unit’s biosecurity policy.
- Complete final fitness-for-travel and withdrawal-period checks where relevant.
Pass evidence
Show customer focus by selecting and preparing suitable animals for the stated purpose. Plan their movement safely and in line with biosecurity requirements; prepare accurate documents and allocate resources effectively.
Distinction evidence
After the task, evaluate how effective your risk assessment was. Identify improvements that could make future selection or movement safer, more efficient and better for animal welfare.
Watch for: animals that do not meet the specification, missing or inaccurate paperwork, stressed livestock, unsuitable resources or overlooked biosecurity risks.
Task 3 — Move, handle and restrain five animals Teamwork, welfare, health checks and preparation for treatment
Task brief: Safely process a group of five animals with others: move, handle and restrain them sufficiently to conduct health checks and prepare them for treatment. Construct and communicate a dynamic risk assessment, monitor welfare throughout, and report health findings to the IEPA.
Before, during and after
- Plan the route, team roles, PPE, signals and emergency procedures; share the risk assessment before starting.
- Inspect the race, crush, gates and other equipment; check the environment and exits.
- Move five animals calmly, using suitable positions and the animals’ flight zone; avoid unnecessary force.
- Restrain appropriately for the species and task, maintaining safety, welfare and biosecurity.
- Assess health accurately and prepare animals for treatment in line with the health and welfare plan.
- Record treatment details where applicable, including dose, operator and time; relay health findings.
- Observe animals after release, clean equipment and record completion.
- Review teamwork and your risk assessment; identify at least two areas for development.
Pass evidence
Safely implement, monitor and review livestock movement. Maintain high standards of welfare and biosecurity, communicate clearly with the team, and accurately assess animal health while following the health and welfare plan.
Distinction evidence
Reflect on how effectively you worked with others and suggest at least two specific development areas, such as communication, positioning, timing or keeping the group calm.
Watch for: poor planning, unclear signals, excessive restraint, missed signs of stress or injury, and failing to share health findings or review the task.
Quick-fire EPA self-check
Choose one answer for each question, then check your score.
A simple way to structure each task
Plan: agree the purpose, people, equipment and risks. Do: work safely, communicate and protect welfare and biosecurity. Check: monitor animals, feed, records and results. Review: explain what worked, what the evidence shows and what you would improve.
Use the checklists to guide your revision, not as a substitute for your employer’s procedures, the assessor’s instructions or the animal health and welfare plan.