More than 60 people from across the agricultural community have now registered their interest in training to become an Approved Tuberculin Tester (ATT) of cattle, reports UK Farmcare.
These job opportunities have been created following approval by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) last November to allow para-professional staff to support vets in carrying out TB testing in England.
“Since we started publicising the ATT opportunity on behalf of the veterinary community back in the spring, we have seen a surge of interest in the role,” says Kate Bowen from UK Farmcare.
She adds that there are now 49 fully authorised ATTs in England with another 21 TB testing under veterinary supervision and three undergoing the theory part of the training.
Ms Bowen says that anyone interested in becoming an ATT must be at least 18 years old, hold a valid UK driving licence and passport, possess a clean criminal record and then be approved by the APHA.
“There are also certain minimum educational requirements (at least three graded GCSEs or equivalent in English, Maths and a science or food production subject). Applicants also need to be able to demonstrate at least six months cattle handling experience,” she adds.
Following a successful “Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)” check, applicants must find a veterinary practice to provide the direct supervision they need during the practical phase of the training.
“UK Farmcare can provide support with this if candidates don’t currently have contact with a suitable livestock veterinary practice in their local area of England. The next step is to access the online training course and then pass a test that assesses understanding,” says Ms Bowen.
Veterinary practices sponsoring ATT applicants must already provide TB testing services for both beef and dairy cattle – and have enough TB testing vets available to allow one to be able to supervise training on a one-to-one basis for a few weeks.
Additional candidates keen to explore this interesting new job opportunity can either contact their local veterinary practice or register their interest on the UK Farmcare website.
