In recent years, much attention has been given to best practice use of animal medicines on cattle and sheep farms. This arises from several quarters: first, the increasing concern about antimicrobial resistance in both animals and humans, and the taskforces and reduction targets that have been created as a result (Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture). Second, rising levels of anthelmintic resistance particularly in sheep (Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep), and also cattle parasite populations (Control of Worms Sustainably). Third, processor and consumer concern about medicines residues in food products, leading to the development of the Milksure initiative. Last, increasing awareness and regulation of responsible prescribing practices, as described in the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, 2023).
Farm assurance
This interest in medicine best practice has been paralleled by the Red Tractor assurance scheme that has gradually included additional recommendations and requirements in its cattle and sheep standards. In autumn 2017, all assured dairy farms were recommended to have at least one member of staff who had undertaken suitable medicines training. In autumn 2018, this was upgraded to a requirement. For assured beef and sheep farms, in 2018 it became a recommendation that at least one member of staff should have undertaken training in the handling and administration of medicines. This became a requirement in autumn 2021. Additionally, over this time the standards have been tightened such that the medicines training in question should be recent (since 2016) and must be a course approved by Red Tractor.
Many different approved options are available and listed on the Red Tractor website, from online courses supplied by national providers such as the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) and pharmaceutical companies, to classes run by individual vet practices. For many farmers, attendance at a course run by their own veterinary practice is beneficial since it is convenient, strengthens the vet–client relationship, and creates an opportunity for questions. The course can be tailor-made by the practice to be appropriate for the client base and include relevant practice policies. However, the quality and depth of practice-run courses may vary considerably, and vets delivering those courses should ensure that they are familiar with all the relevant guidance.
The author has been organising and teaching a responsible use of medicines course at her practice since 2018 and has seen positive outcomes as a result, including favourable feedback on the course content and delivery; increased bonding of clients, especially those seen only infrequently; greater awareness of the need for an annual health plan; requests to update individual farm vaccination protocols and improved sales of needles and disposal equipment such as sharps bins, bottle bins. In 2020 and 2021 the medicines course was run online via Zoom but has since returned to being an in-person course. This results in an improved client experience, since it is easier for participants to ask questions and enter discussions, and an important part of the course is allowing clients to handle different gauges and lengths of needles.
For a practice medicines course to be approved by Red Tractor it must follow the appropriate syllabus. The Milksure appendices have been extensively updated to ensure that the syllabus is covered, even though these topics are not the focus of the course. This is available at the Red Tractor website, by downloading a copy of the Beef & Lamb or Dairy Standards Manual (https://redtractorassurance.org.uk/standard/download/dairy_standards/) (section AM.3.1: At least one person who is responsible for administering medicines has undertaken training and holds a certificate of competence/attendance from training undertaken since October 2016) and the summary is listed here.
AM.3.1a: Training courses cover at least:
- medicine types
- medicine handling
- administration
- medicine storage
- recording requirements
- avoiding residues.
Further information on requirements within each of these categories is available in the Standards Manual under the Animal Medicines section: (Section B.AM.3.1 [beef], L.AM.3.1 [lamb] and AM.3.1 [dairy]). An application form for approval of a medicines course is also available to download on the Red Tractor website: https://redtractorassurance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/MED-ICINE-TRAINING-COURSE-APPROVAL-APPLICATION-FORM-v5.pdf.
Legal requirements
Whether the client is farm assured or not, the client and the vet have several legal obligations as animal keepers and prescribers of veterinary medicines. Guidance for the vet can be found in the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons, Section 4, Veterinary Medicines (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, 2023) (Table 1). The veterinary surgeon prescribing POM-V medication must be confident that the client can store and administer the medicines in a competent fashion. The animal(s) must be under their care and have had a clinical assessment. The author uses the medicines course as an opportunity to explain to farmers that in order to receive medicines, their herd or flock must be ‘under our care’, which in the case of this practice requires a visit to the farm within the last 6 months. This helps reduce the number of queries and complaints dealt with by dispensing staff.
Table 1. Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons on prescribing veterinary medicines
| 4.4 POM-V medicines must be prescribed by a veterinary surgeon, who must first carry out a clinical assessment of the animal under his or her care. (See below for RCVS interpretations) |
4.9 The Veterinary Medicines Regulations do not define the phrase ‘under his care’ and the RCVS has interpreted it as meaning that:
|
| 4.10 What amounts to ‘recent enough’ must be a matter for the professional judgement of the veterinary surgeon in the individual case |
| 4.11 A veterinary surgeon cannot usually have an animal under his or her care if there has been no physical examination; consequently a veterinary surgeon should not treat an animal or prescribe POM-V medicines via the internet alone |
| 4.12 The Veterinary Medicines Regulations do not define ’clinical assessment‘, and the RCVS has interpreted this as meaning an assessment of relevant clinical information, which may include an examination of the animal under the veterinary surgeon's care |
| 4.13 Diagnosis for the purpose of prescription should be based on professional judgement following clinical examination and/or postmortem findings supported, if necessary, by laboratory or other diagnostic tests. |
4.25 A veterinary surgeon or SQP who prescribes a POM-VPS veterinary medicinal product, or supplies a NFA-VPS veterinary medicinal product, and a veterinary surgeon who prescribes a POM-V veterinary medicinal product must:
|
| 4.26 The Veterinary Medicines Regulations do not define ‘minimum amount’ and the RCVS considers this must be a matter for the professional judgement of the veterinary surgeon in the individual case |
| 4.27 Veterinary medicinal products must be supplied in appropriate containers and with appropriate labelling |
Also discussed during the course is the use of medicines under the cascade (Table 2), with particular emphasis both on the requirement for a vet to make decisions about cascade usage, and the alteration in withdrawal time that results.
Table 2. Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons on prescribing veterinary medicines under the cascade
| 4.14 In the first instance a veterinary surgeon should prescribe a medicine authorised in the jurisdiction where they are practising, for use in the target species, for the condition being treated, and used at the manufacturer's recommended dosage. Where there is no such medicine available, the veterinary surgeon responsible for treating the animal(s) may, in particular to avoid unacceptable suffering, treat the animal(s) in accordance with the Cascade |
4.16 If there is no medicine authorised in GB or UK-wide for a condition affecting a non-food-producing species, the veterinary surgeon responsible for treating the animal(s) may, in particular to avoid unacceptable suffering, treat the animal(s) in accordance with the following sequence, in descending order:
|
4.22 If there is no medicine authorised in the UK for a condition affecting a food-producing species, the veterinary surgeon responsible for treating the animal(s) may use the cascade options as set out in paragraphs 4.16 and 4.17 above, except that the following additional conditions apply:
|
A helpful document for understanding the obligations of farmers is the Code of Practice on the Responsible Use of Animal Medicines on the Farm (Veterinary Medicines Directorate, 2014). It lists legal requirements such as observing withdrawal periods and maintaining medicine records, which must be retained for 5 years. It also discusses topics such as antibiotic resistance and the role of preventative health planning (Table 3). The author uses this document as the basis for the structure and content of the practice medicines course.
Table 3. Disease control: four guiding principles
| Rule 1 | Review biosecurity of new cattle introduced into a herd | Disease spreads around and between farms by contact with other cattle. Screening and monitoring will help to limit the spread of disease. REMEMBER contact can also be INDIRECT by a needle, surgical instrument, manure or people. |
| Rule 2 | ‘Stress’ is a killer | Stressed animals are far more likely to become diseased. This includes not only obvious physical stress factors such as overcrowding or management procedures; but also exposure to micro-organisms which cause major stress to the immune system e.g. BVD. THINK – If a procedure causes the cattle to become stressed, ask ‘can this be done in a less stressful manner?’, eg castration, introduction of heifers to the dairy herd. |
| Rule 3 | Good management and hygiene | There is no substitute for good management, hygiene and biosecurity measures. Cleaning buildings and equipment coupled with good hygiene will all make a difference. Don't spread disease by poor management and hygiene. |
| Rule 4 | Good nutrition | Good intakes of colostrum provide essential antibodies to protect calves as their immune system is developing. Balanced diets with adequate levels of trace elements, vitamins and antioxidants are essential if the immune system of cattle is to work properly in tackling diseases |
Consumer safety
The safety of the general public that consumes animal products is an essential message to communicate during medicines training. Adherence to withdrawal periods and seeking veterinary authorisation for use of products under the cascade are the key factors here. This issue is of far more importance on dairy farms, where animals produce food daily for much for their lives, as compared to beef and sheep farms where an animal produces food only once. The author also teaches the Milksure course and this covers consumer safety in far more detail than the minimum syllabus. The author therefore encourages dairy farmers to attend a Milksure course rather than the standard-practice medicines course, although the latter does still comply with Red Tractor farm assurance dairy standards. Those delivering courses must ensure that the Milksure appendices (handling and administration of medicines) are covered to an appropriate level, dependant on their knowledge of the farm staff 's experience and ability. One must be a BCVA member to access the MilkSure appendices online.
Medicine handling and storage
It should be emphasised during the course that in order for medicines to work effectively, they must be stored, handled and administered correctly. Time should be spent discussing the differences between fridge items (which should be kept between 2–8°C) and non-fridge items (which can be stored at room temperature, not exceeding 25°C). The importance of avoiding direct sunlight must also be stressed – the author uses the example of the many medicines bottles she has seen left in the truck on the front dashboard. Clean needles and syringes must be used to withdraw medicines to avoid contamination of the rest of the bottle. Expiry dates should always be checked and the author reminds clients that vaccines must be used the same day they are opened and that, in some cases, the timescale is only a matter of hours.
Drug resistance
Anthelmintic and antibiotic resistance are also important topics to discuss, particularly as farmers will hear much about them, both in the general media and in the farming press. They may be confused about the process of developing resistance and the strategies to reduce resistance. For example, in the author's experience it is common to believe that a single organism changes, during its lifetime, from sensitive to resistant. Explaining the process as ‘survival of the fittest’ with reference to the very short generation times (for example 20 minutes for some bacteria, 3 weeks for most intestinal worms) can result in more clarity. There are also excellent videos available on the Milksure (https://www.bcva.org.uk/content/about-antibiotic-resistance) and Farm Antibiotics (https://www.farmantibiotics.org/science-facts/antibiotic-resistance/) websites.
Another misconception is that individual animals may become resistant to antibiotics or anthelmintics at the animal level, and some-times this misunderstanding extends to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). It can be beneficial to start the course by discussing the differences between medicines that kill pathogenic organisms (antibiotics/anthelmintics) and medicines that work at the animal level (vaccines, NSAIDs, local anaesthetics).
Animal welfare
The medicines training course represents an opportunity to promote the importance of animal welfare. First by encouraging good stockmanship, biosecurity and nutrition to reduce the requirement for medicines, as already discussed. Second, by promoting the use of pain relief, particularly NSAIDs. It is helpful to discuss the situations in which NSAIDs can be used, both alone and in combination with antibiotics, and explain the mechanism of action as decrease in fever, relief of pain and reduction in swelling. It is also beneficial to explain the differences in mode and length of action of local anaesthetics as compared to NSAIDs, particularly now that Red Tractor standards require the use of both for most calf procedures (Tables 4 and 5). Third, effective treatment (or vaccination) protocols will reduce disease on the farm and lead to quicker recovery times with obvious welfare benefits. Last, demonstrating injection technique and selecting the correct needle to reduce the risk of animal injury during injection.
Table 4. Red Tractor Farm Assurance beef standards, youngstock husbandry procedures
| Procedure/method | Conditions of use | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal age | Operator | Anaesthetic | Analgesic | ||
| Castration | Elastation/rubber ring | 1st week of life only | Competent stock person | ||
| Clamp/bloodless | Up to 2 months | Competent stock person | With | ||
| Other method | Up to 2 months | Competent stock person | With | With | |
| When animal is over 2 months of age | More than 2 months | Vet only | With | With | |
| Disbudding | Chemical cauterising | 1st week of life only | Competent stock person | Recommended with | |
| Other method than above eg hot iron | Up to 2 months | Competent stock person | With | With | |
| Dehorning | Cutting/sawing horn (must not be used routinely) | Up to 5 months | Competent stock person | With | With |
| More than 5 months | Vet only | With | With | ||
| Removal of supernumerary teats | Using clean, sharp scissors | Up to 3 months | Competent stock person | With | With |
| Over 3 months | Vet only | With | With | ||
Table 5. Red Tractor Farm Assurance dairy standards, youngstock husbandry procedures
| Procedure/method | Conditions of use | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal age | Operator | Anaesthetic | Analgesic | ||
| Castration | Elastation/rubber ring | 1st week of life only | Competent stock person | ||
| Clamp/bloodless | Up to 2 months | Competent stock person | With | ||
| Other method | Up to 2 months | Competent stock person | With | With | |
| When animal is more than 2 months of age | More than 2 months | Vet only | With | With | |
| Disbudding | Chemical cauterising | 1st week of life only | Competent stock person | Recommended with | |
| Other method than above eg hot iron | Up to 2 months | Competent stock person | With | With | |
| Dehorning | Cutting/sawing horn (must not be used routinely) | Up to 5 months | Competent stock person | With | With |
| More than 5 months | Vet only | With | With | ||
| Removal of supernumerary teats | Using clean, sharp scissors | Up to 3 months | Competent stock person | With | With |
| More than 3 months | Vet only | With | With | ||
Conclusions
The high importance placed on medicines training is more than justified, given the responsibility of vets to follow correct prescribing practices and for farmers to abide by recommendations for appropriate medicine use. There is also an important benefit to society in the form of protecting consumers and regulating antimicrobial use. Farmers themselves can derive maximum benefit from the medicines they have bought, which may represent a significant farm expenditure, and reduce their economic losses by avoiding incorrect treatments or dose rates. Animals may have improved welfare because of increased preventative health or improved treatment protocols. Veterinary practices gain direct income from the course fees but also indirect income through increased sales of products, such as vaccines, needles and disposal equipment.
How long have you been running a medicines training course?
Kat Hart replies:
Five years.
Rebecca Howard replies:
Three years.
Tim Potter replies:
Our practice has been running medicines training courses for over 10 years.
Claire Walker replies:
The practice started providing medicines courses in summer 2018 after a trip with our dairy clients to the Netherlands. On this trip we all became aware that stricter regulations on antimicrobial use were also heading our way.
Tom Warboys replies:
I've been running the course for 3 years now, beginning just before COVID-19 restrictions. Synergy have been running a medicines course for 10 years though, initially just for farmers who wanted to learn more, had specific training requirements for milk contracts or wanted a group training session.
Who delivers the course?
Kat Hart replies:
I generally cover all the courses, many of the vets run one-on-one, or farm-specific medicine courses to our larger dairies.
Rebecca Howard replies:
I do.
Tim Potter replies:
Courses are generally delivered by our vets using an agreed set of course materials.
Claire Walker replies:
There are two vets in the practice that deliver the course that was written to comply with Red Tractor standards.
Tom Warboys replies:
We have five vets that run the generic course for all livestock farmers. We also have two sheep vets who run a modified version of the course, which is tailored to sheep farmers and has a more in-depth section on responsible use of anthelmintics.
In what format and location(s)?
Kat Hart replies:
All beef and sheep farmers are offered a face-to-face course that we run every other month. We did offer face-to-face courses for dairies every other month but the take-up has slowed so these have now stopped. All vets feel that farm-specific dairy courses are so much more useful and then cover some sections in the HHP. We have offered online courses, but these have now stopped as farmers seem to be more happy to pay for inperson advice. We generally offer them in our meeting room at the office. However, we have done them on farm and in pub locations. We had good up-take of the farm-based courses. However, it can be difficult to find a farmer keen to host.
Rebecca Howard replies:
During the COVID-19 pandemic we delivered a course virtually over Zoom, especially when it became a requirement for beef farmers to have done the course, as well as dairy farmers. We have now switched back to in-person courses and this is much easier to deliver as the course can be really interactive to keep the farmers engaged. We try to do more courses over the quieter months as we feel that farmers are often busy combining in the summer months.
Tim Potter replies:
In the beginning all courses were delivered face-to-face either on farm or in meeting rooms/at the practice. During the pandemic we moved online making use of platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, although we have now returned to face-to-face meetings. Over the past couple of years, we have also developed a self-directed course with Farm-IQ.co.uk, which clients can access online and work through in their own time.
Claire Walker replies:
The format of the meeting is a Powerpoint presentation with props, such as medicine packaging, needles and syringes for illustrative purposes.
They are normally held in a meeting room at the practice. They are offered at least twice yearly or upon request from a farm. Separate meetings are held for cattle and sheep.
Tom Warboys replies:
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the sessions were always done in person, in a teaching room at the practice. We generally have 8–10 attendees at each session and run it every couple of months. The course is part Powerpoint presentation, with as many group exercises on the whiteboard as possible to keep it interactive. These exercises are also the perfect opportunity for clients to quiz us and this generally turns into a question and answer session. We use a lot of props from dispensary, such as empty medicine containers and equipment, and there is also a full-size plastic cow. We take attendees on a practice tour with particular focus on the dispensary's operations. If we run a course on-farm for a group of farmers, then we can use their medicine cabinet as an example and have the opportunity to gather around a real cow or calf to describe medicine administration techniques.
How do you administrate the course?
Kat Hart replies:
We advertise our courses on our social media, we have sent group texts to specific farmers when needed, and try to remember to put the courses in our monthly newsletters. We aim for 5–10 farms to be present to help with the discussion parts of the course. We charge per farm so it is up them how many people they send, generally it is always only one. Unfortunately we do get some people that don't turn up. We don't charge a deposit but have considered it. We email out a pdf version of the certificate and add to their account after the meeting, but I also bring some certificates to sign and hand out as many attendees prefer that.
Rebecca Howard replies:
Our receptionists phone individual farmers that have expressed interest in the course previously. We then advertise the date to the rest of our clients via Facebook and in our monthly newsletter.
Tim Potter replies:
We run regular courses, which we advertise to clients only and then other people can sign up to. In addition to this we will put on courses in response to specific requests either if there are no courses being run at that time or for individual clients or specific farming groups. The availability of a self-directed course has gone down well with clients who are looking to work through the course materials in their own time. For these clients, administration is simple as we only have to provide them with a login to the learning platform.
Claire Walker replies:
The courses are advertised in our monthly newsletter and vets will mention them upon completion of health plans with clients. Certificates of attendance are provided at the end of the course.
Tom Warboys replies:
The course is booked in the diary with a vet assigned a few months in advance. It is advertised in our newsletter and on the website as well as on social media. Clients ring in and book a place on the course. Running it regularly means clients have several date options. We have also run it on-farm several times by special request, for our larger farms or those within cooperatives who wished to train a number of members of staff at the same time.
How did you design the content of your course?
Kat Hart replies:
We decided to include the science behind the risks of resistance as we believe it is important that the farmers understand the reasons behind it all, and it makes it feel a little bit more real. We touch on the differences between contacts but try not to be too specific as they change so quickly. I have included a lot of photos of different farms' medicine cabinets and try to get attendees to identify some positive and some negative things about them, to show that there are a range of solutions not ‘one size fits all’. We make the ‘which injection goes where’ into a quiz with extra biscuits on offer for answering which needle would be used. This aims to make it seem less like ‘teaching them to suck eggs’ and helps most people pick up something they can change.
Rebecca Howard replies:
We asked Red Tractor for advice on what their certified courses needed to contain, then addressed farmer feedback on what they felt would be useful to know and added in a few more obscure bits of information for interest.
Tim Potter replies:
Originally the content was developed in response to the common questions we were hearing on-farm related to this topic, along with feedback from the vets on which areas needed to be covered. In response to the more structured requirements of assurance schemes, we have since adapted the content to ensure our training meets the syllabus laid out by Red Tractor.
Claire Walker replies:
The course was originally based around the use of medicines to avoid antimicrobial resistance and preventing use of critically important antibiotics. It was then later adapted to comply with Red Tractor requirements, adding topics such as injection techniques and legal requirements on recording, among others.
Tom Warboys replies:
The course content has evolved over time and initially covered a very practical approach to getting the optimal benefit from medicines, as well as a background on the different groups of medicines, how they work and how to use them safely and effectively. It also covers medicine storage, avoiding residues and the legislation around medicine use, as well emphasising the importance of cold-chain compliance. The main framework is now based on Red Tractor requirements. We have also added information on topics that commonly crop up, for example, why a vaccine can fail and how to reduce the risks of it happening. With the advent of the Milksure training courses that we also run, the safe use of medicines course still proves popular as it gives a more general overview of safe and effective medicine usage and its application to non-dairy sectors within the industry.
Have you made changes to the course content or organisation over the time it has been running?
Kat Hart replies:
Over time I have added more discussion topics rather than just going through the slides, also added the injection quiz. We have tried to keep it up to date and relevant. For example, when we began, a big discussion topic was antibiotic foot baths for dairy cows. However, this is no longer the case. We now use treating groups of calves with pneumonia with antibiotics as a discussion topic, and where it might still be appropriate but what steps are suggested first. Over the last year on the sheep course we have focused on oral antibiotics given at birth to stop watery mouth.
I try to facilitate the group to discuss what they do and have tried, and what worked and what didn't. For example, if I say all lambing pens should be cleaned and disinfected after each ewe the attendees often simply say no because there isn't enough time, but if another farmer says they have done it and liked it, then the others are far more likely to take try it.
Rebecca Howard replies:
The course has become more interactive.
Tim Potter replies:
When we began, there was a real focus on the handling and administration of medicines. This is still a key part of the content but there is now a much greater focus on responsible use and the reduction of use of antimicrobials.
Tom Warboys replies:
We review the course annually to keep in line with any changes to Red Tractor legislation or best practice. The biggest change was probably during COVID, when we held the courses online using Zoom. (We now run the course monthly, alternating between face-to-face and virtual sessions.) This involved adapting the current format to suit online teaching with more photos to provide a virtual practice tour, and also photos of data sheets and other props. We make use of the whiteboard function on Zoom too. In the near future, we will have a national online training platform, designed for farmers to upskill themselves and their staff in their own time. The first module to be made available will be a Red Tractor approved ‘safe use of veterinary medicines’ course.
What advice would you give to those who are thinking about running a course but have not yet started?
Kat Hart replies:
Do it. I think it can be a good way of improving your relationship with the farmers, when done well. It can be a chance to offer more information about the service you provide, it also gives you a chance to show the farmer that there are more options to the way they do things. It can be a good way of spending some time with those that use vets less, who can be difficult to get to. Some vets think the farmers will be defensive when they attend because they don't want to be there. I rarely find this the case, and when you tell them ‘I have to do this every month’ they often lighten up. Also, we charge more than most of the online versions and I think farmers that are not positive about it choose those because they are cheaper.
Rebecca Howard replies:
Do not presume that farmers who have been injecting cattle all of their lives will automatically be doing the simplest tasks correctly. I also think that farmers are more likely to listen if you can show them how each thing you suggest will affect health and productivity and therefore make them more money. Correct storage of vaccines is a big one for this.
Tim Potter replies:
They are definitely worth doing. We have found the courses a great way of engaging with clients on the topic of responsible medicine use and they often provide a way in to talking about other topics on farm. Make sure any courses you run meet the standards laid out by Red Tractor and that you get the course approved so that attendees are able to use your course to meet their assurance requirements.
Claire Walker replies:
Get your presentations set up and approved by Red Tractor and then advertise it among your clients, getting all vets to mention it when completing health plans. Our practice found we had a good uptake from clients even before it became compulsory, as we have always been proactive in our approach to reducing antimicrobial use through evidence-based medicine.
Tom Warboys replies:
Keep it practical and as discussion-based as you can, and have a well-planned course outline with clear topics and take-home messages to work through. Use an icebreaker to get the group talking at the beginning and ask them what they want to get out of the session before commencing. Since Red Tractor has made it compulsory for assured farms, this has led to a big increase in demand and a number of attendees will be there because they have to be, so keep discussions and exercises flexible and tailored to the group you have in front of you.
What is your top tip for how to successfully run a medicines course?
Kat Hart replies:
Try and make it interactive. For farmers to value it, face-to-face over a cup of tea and biscuit is best. Online courses can work and some farmers like them so they don't have to change out of their farm clothes or spend time travelling, but really a maximum of seven works best.
Don't make it too long, I feel 1.5 hours is plenty to cover everything in good detail but also allow time for discussion (and biscuit eating). We have tried different times of day and found 11am–1pm works best for us and most of our farmers.
Don not be judgemental or too serious. Often things come out in the discussions that might be quiet shocking. Even farmers you think you know well, can come out with some really unexpected ideas that they have dreamt up. However, being judgemental will stop them participating. I often ask others if they have heard of it or what their thoughts are, then answer with what I think or suggest. It can also be hard if one farmer takes over the discussion. Asking each of the farmers directly rather than just opening the floor to comments works well.
Rebecca Howard replies:
Get the farmers to bring along their medicine books and engage in conversation with each other.
Tim Potter replies:
Make the course as practical and interactive as possible. Our most successful courses are run for small groups or individual farm teams, as they enable the most discussion.
Claire Walker replies:
Keep it succinct and practical for the clients' daily needs. Small groups are helpful so it is easier for questions to be asked. Asking the clients questions and setting little tasks throughout (such as working out a dose rate) can keep them engaged. Coffee and cake always keeps everyone happy.
Tom Warboys replies:
It's worth keeping to small groups in order to make sure everyone has a chance to speak and to ask the question that they came with. Keep it interactive and avoid ‘death by Powerpoint’.