Development of lay spaying training program

Summary

In 2012, with the proposed introduction of the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Cattle, the Cattle Council of Australia (CCA) identified an industry need to introduce a National Accreditation Scheme for lay persons who spay cattle using the Dropped Ovary Technique (DOT). To address this need, CCA in conjunction with AgriFood Skills Australia and beef industry stakeholders initiated a project which gained endorsement for a nationally recognised Unit of Competency for spaying in June 2013, AHCLSK335 Conduct dropped ovary technique procedures for spaying cattle. This project was established to design, construct and pilot a training program and training materials based on this Unit of Competency.

The requirements for the training program included development of a training delivery guide for both trainer and learner, and assessment tools including a recognition of prior learning kit. The project also required associated documentation and registration actions for the Registered Training Organisation and the Animal Ethics Committee approval process.

Planning and delivery of the pilot program required participation by experienced cattle vets, use of cattle, good quality facilities for spaying and extensive documentation for quality and compliance purposes.

The 2-day pilot program tested the training and assessment tools with 4 experienced cattle spaying vets. The outcomes of the Pilot Program, the Training Delivery Guide, Assessment Guide and the RPL Kit were extensively reviewed and a Video Evidence Checklist was added. All final products of the project were reviewed and accepted by the Project Steering Committee. The training program can now serve as the basis for development of an accreditation process for DOT spaying by non-veterinarians.