Description of Service

Our aim is to ensure that good animal health and welfare standards are established and, more importantly, maintained on farms within the Borough of Swindon.

We aim to:

• Prevent, control and eradicate animal disease.
• Protect the welfare of animals in transit and on farms.
• Safeguard human health from transmitted animal disease.
• Advise and assist the farming community of matters relating to current legislation.

We are required to enforce breaches of animal health and welfare legislation. In the most extreme cases this may mean prosecution of offenders. As the law surrounding this issue is regularly being up-dated, we have made a commitment to ensuring that the information we provide is reliable and easily understood, to help stop problems before they begin. Effective enforcement is seen as paramount in restoring confidence in the British Agriculture System following a series of high profile animal disease outbreaks in recent years.

Service Levels

Much of the enforcement work we do is of a proactive nature. We do this through a programme of:

• Farm visits.
• Inspections.
• Advice. Please follow the link to our range of advice leaflets.
• Random checks.
• Liaison with other local authorities.

We also respond to complaints that are reported to us. When received, we aim to provide an initial response within two working days although, depending on the individual circumstances, full investigation and resolution may take longer.

Report a Problem

You can report problems to us in a number of ways:

• By e-mail to the StreetSmart Team at the Swindon Direct Contact Centre. For details of the contact centre opening hours, please visit the Swindon Direct web page.

• By telephone to the StreetSmart Team at the Swindon Direct Contact Centre on 01793 445501. For details of the Contact Centre opening hours, please visit the Swindon Direct web page.

• In person, by visiting the Swindon Direct One-stop-shop. For details of the address and opening hours, please visit the Swindon Direct web page.