Animal Health and Agriculture Officer

Lancashire County Council; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in the UK is seeking an Animal Health and Agriculture Officer to provide enforcement and support work across Lancashire's agricultural sector. The role involves conducting inspections, handling investigations, and providing legal advice. Candidates should possess knowledge of livestock and animal feed industries, and be capable of flexible and varied work, including outdoor inspections. A full driving licence is required. This position offers competitive salary and potential for flexible working.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Range of employee benefits

Qualifications

• Must have a full driving licence and access to a vehicle.
• Must be organized with the ability to handle challenging situations.
• Capability to work flexible hours, including unsocial hours.

Responsibilities

• Provide detailed legal advice on animal health & welfare.
• Conduct routine inspections and sampling activities.
• Perform criminal investigations and enforcement actions.

Skills

Knowledge of livestock and animal feed industries

Enforcement or investigatory experience

Ability to use Microsoft packages

Capability to navigate challenging terrain

Strong interpersonal skills

Job description

Animal Health and Agriculture Officer (Enforcement)

Salary £28,142-£32,061 Per annum | Permanent, Full Time, 37 hours per week | Animal Health and Agriculture Officer

International Sponsorship – this role is not open to international sponsorship

Location – Agile throughout Lancashire / Based at County Hall, Preston

Hours – 37 hrs per week

Closing date – Friday 26th December 2025

Job Description

An exciting opportunity is available to join the Animal Health & Welfare & Agriculture Team within the Trading Standards Service as an enforcement officer. The role is full time and permanent with the possibility of flexible working arrangements if required.

Job Role

We are an intelligence led service and carry out a variety of business support and enforcement work dealing with animal health & welfare and agriculture matters throughout Lancashire. We do this by responding to complaints and requests for advice, working closely with APHA and other partner agencies, carrying out inspections and audits on farms, at livestock markets, abattoirs, feed businesses, points of entry and other agricultural premises.

Key Responsibilities

• provide detailed advice on the relevant legal requirements both verbally and in writing
• conduct routine statutory inspections and sampling activities at various agricultural premises in Lancashire
• conduct criminal investigations
• take enforcement action under a variety of criminal legislation
• assist other Trading Standards Teams when required for other operations
• complete the necessary forms and use various databases for both investigation work and recording purposes

Job Requirements

This is a varied and interesting role and one that is reactive and responsive to the nature of the work that comes into the service on a daily basis. The ideal candidate will have knowledge and experience of the livestock and animal feed industries as well as enforcement or investigatory experience and must be able to use their initiative, be capable of using Microsoft packages (Teams, Word etc) and an ability to use basic technical equipment. Must be capable of navigating challenging terrain and standing for extended periods in all weather conditions at various premises.

A full driving licence and access to your own vehicle is essential. You will be organised and have flexibility to work occasional unsocial hours. You will be able to deal sympathetically with members of the public, and businesses, while also being confident in your ability to handle difficult and challenging situations.

Contact

For an informal chat about this vacancy please contact Alison Moss on 01772 534 324 or 07766 803 605 or Stephen Green on 01772 533 910.

The proposed interview date for this post is Wednesday 7th January 2025 but is subject to change.

In return Lancashire County Council offers a range of benefits, which can be found on the LCC Vacancies website.

We reserve the right to close down a vacancy early, before the closing date, if we receive sufficient applications.

The post you are applying for is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). If successful you will be required to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a 'disclosure'. Further information can be found on the 'Our Recruitment Process' page.