Official Veterinary appointment

1. Undertaking ante-mortem inspection at the holding of provenance

A veterinarian carrying out ante-mortem inspection at a holding of provenance must either be:

• a fully appointed Official Veterinarian (OV) by the FSA/FSS; or
• a veterinarian specifically appointed for the purpose of undertaking ante-mortem inspection at the holding of provenance.

The ante-mortem inspection at the holding of provenance includes the following duties:

• ante-mortem inspection at the holding of provenance of animals intended for slaughter at a slaughterhouse.
• ante-mortem inspection of poultry where the holding is authorised for on-farm slaughter,
• ante-mortem inspection of farmed game where the holding is authorised for on-farm slaughter

Appointment by the FSA as an Official Veterinarian at Holdings of Provenance (OV-HoP)

Veterinarians interested in becoming an OV-HoP must be members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and pass a test about ante-mortem inspection.

How to apply for the appointment as OV-HoP

Firstly, veterinarians must sit and pass the online test which consists of 30 multiple choice questions. Each question has only one correct answer. You must answer a minimum of 20 questions correctly in order to pass the test. 

Please click on the link below to access the test, we will contact you via email within 7 working days of you completing the test to acknowledge the appointment as OV-HoP.

OV Holdings of Provenance Appointment Test

You are required to undergo revalidation for the OV-HoP every four years. 

Please note: you are not required to hold the OCQ(V) - ES qualification to apply for the OV-HoP qualification.

If you have any queries or questions, please contact the FSA at WATOK@food.gov.uk 

2. Undertaking ante-mortem inspection outside the slaughterhouse in case of emergency slaughter

 A veterinarian carrying out ante-mortem inspection of domestic ungulates in case of emergency slaughter outside the slaughterhouse must either be: 

• a fully appointed Official Veterinarian (OV) by the FSA/FSS; or 
• a veterinarian specifically appointed for the purpose of undertaking ante-mortem inspection of domestic ungulates outside the slaughterhouse in case of emergency slaughter 
   

Appointment as an Official Veterinarian to perform ante-mortem inspection outside the slaughterhouse for emergency slaughter (OV-EMSL)

Veterinarians interested in becoming an OV-EMSL must be members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, undergo an online training and pass an online test about ante-mortem inspection in domestic ungulates outside the slaughterhouse in case of emergency slaughter.

Veterinarians already appointed under the current system need to complete the new training and assessment by the 1 April 2025 to become appointed as OV-EMSL under the new process. FSA is allowing a sufficient period of 4 months for veterinarians to complete the new process to ensure there is no gap in the access to emergency slaughter certification.

How to apply for the appointment as OV-EMSL

Firstly, veterinarians must undergo an online training. Please click on the link below to access the training.

Once the training has been completed, veterinarians must sit and pass the online test which consists of 30 multiple choice questions. Each question has only one correct answer. You must answer a minimum of 20 questions correctly in order to pass the test. 

Please click on the link below to access the test, we will contact you via email within 7 working days of you completing the test to acknowledge appointment as OV-EMSL.

OV Emergency Slaughter Appointment Test

You are required to undergo revalidation for the OV-EMSL every four years.

Please note: you are not required to hold the OCQ(V) - ES qualification to apply for the OV-EMSL qualification.

If you have any queries or questions, please contact the FSA at WATOK@food.gov.uk