The McCaskie Animal Health Plan
A written annual health plan, completed with one of our SQPs, built to satisfy a QMS or Red Tractor inspection — and to be worth having in the twelve months between inspections.
The Plan an Inspector Asks For
Scottish livestock farms have always recorded the health and performance of their stock. What farm assurance changed is that those records now have to be collated, written down and produced on request. That is a different job from keeping them, and it is the job this plan does.
McCaskie has been writing health plans for customers for over a decade. We keep in regular contact with LRQA to make sure the plan still matches what Quality Meat Scotland and Red Tractor are currently asking for, because the standards move and a plan written to last year’s wording is a plan that gets queried.
It is completed by you, with one of our SQPs — not written for you and handed over. That is deliberate. A plan you have not been through is a document; a plan you have argued your way through is a plan.
What the Plan Covers
The Farm
Farm details, biosecurity, and the contingency plan for when something goes wrong.
Disease
Disease management, and a drug resistance plan — the section that gets the most attention at inspection and the most use afterwards.
The Year
A yearly health planner for cattle and for the flock, so treatments sit against the calendar rather than against memory.
Dairy
Mastitis management, milking routines and milking equipment servicing.
Routines and Records
Health routines, veterinary-related tasks, records, training, and the MSDS file.
Performance
Health and performance review for dairy, beef and sheep, plus pest control and spraying information.
The resistance plan is the part worth doing properly. Worm and fluke decisions only make sense in sequence — what went on, when, to which group, and what happened next. Written down once a year with someone who saw the stock, that section stops being paperwork and starts being the reason next year’s drench works.
Qualified to Advise, and on the Record
The plan is completed with an SQP — a Registered Animal Medicines Advisor, qualified and registered through AMTRA, the Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority. That registration carries a Code of Practice, mandatory continuing professional development and a disciplinary process, so the advice in your plan comes from someone whose qualification is current and auditable. What an SQP can and cannot advise on.
There is an SQP in every store and all eight field representatives are SQPs, so the plan can be done on the farm or at the counter, whichever suits.
Health Plan Questions
Do I need a written animal health plan for QMS or Red Tractor?
Yes. Both schemes expect your health and performance records to be collated into a written plan that can be produced at inspection. McCaskie has been completing these with customers for over a decade and keeps in contact with LRQA so the plan matches what the schemes are currently asking for.
Who writes the health plan?
You do, with one of our SQPs alongside you. It is not written for you and handed over — a plan you have not been through is a document rather than a plan.
What does the McCaskie health plan include?
Farm details, biosecurity, disease management, a drug resistance plan, a yearly health planner for cattle and flock, mastitis management, milking routines and equipment servicing, health routines and veterinary tasks, records and training, health and performance reviews for dairy, beef and sheep, a contingency plan, MSDS, and pest control and spraying information.
Does the health plan cost anything?
Ask your representative or the store — ring 01786 474 481. It is completed as part of the relationship rather than sold as a product.
Can the plan be done on the farm?
Yes. All eight field representatives are SQPs, so it can be completed at the kitchen table, or at the counter in any of the four stores if that is easier.
Ask at any of the four stores — Ayr, Kinross, Lanark & Stirling — or ring 01786 474 481. There is a qualified SQP in every store.
Get your rep out