To support vets and farmers to achieve better safety when working together on farms the British Veterinary Association (BVA) has produced a package of guidance to help all parties understand their share of legal responsibility.

The BVA client advice leaflet ‘Is your farm a safe place to work?’ has been produced for farmers and is publicly available from the You and Your Vet section on the BVA website at http://www.bva.co.uk/You-and-your-vet.

Addressing the farmer’s responsibility to keep vets and anyone working on their farm safe the leaflet describes what should be in place for the vet to operate safely on the farm and points to further information. The leaflet can be used for vets and farmers to start a discussion about minimising avoidable risks on farm. BVA resources for vets include a Farm Health and Safety guide and risk assessment form for veterinary practices.

BVA President John Blackwell emphasised the importance of all parties taking health and safety on farm seriously: “Health and safety assessments can save lives by informing action plans that help minimise the risks. Farmers and vets up and down the country have seen colleagues injured on farms and consequently unable to work. Many injuries are avoidable if veterinary practices, their employees and farmers all take action to minimise the risks.

“I want veterinary practices to understand their responsibilities and make use of our resources to help protect their employees on farm visits. I want vets going out on farms to keep updating existing risk assessments to keep their colleagues and themselves safe. I hope the client leaflet helps vets and farmers to start the conversation and take action to reduce the risks.”