Agricultural inspector
Agricultural inspectors make sure animal welfare and environmental standards are followed in farms and dairies.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
Your day to day duties will depend on where you work.
For the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), you could:
- check machinery, buildings and the working environment
- investigate accidents and complaints
- write reports and make recommendations
For the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), you could:
- collect and analyse data
- check record keeping on farms
- investigate animal welfare concerns
- plan the control and prevention of animal disease
For food assurance standards, you could:
- inspect the health and welfare of livestock
- check food crop production methods
- ensure records and documents are kept up to date
Working environment
You could work in an office or on a farm.
Your working environment may be noisy and dirty.
You may need to wear protective clothing.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could become a manager or work as a consultant in occupational health.
You could also specialise in areas like public health or conservation. Salaries for specialist work can sometimes be higher.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- thinking and reasoning skills
- the ability to analyse quality or performance
- customer service skills
- the ability to monitor your own performance and that of your colleagues
- excellent verbal communication skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- applying directly
You could start by taking a degree in a relevant subject like:
- science
- maths
- environmental health
- agriculture
Some universities offer a foundation degree in agriculture as preparation for working in the agricultural sector.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
More Information
The following courses may help you to work towards this role:
- Level 2 or 3 Diploma in Agriculture
- Level 3 BTEC Diploma in Agriculture
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
- 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
More Information
To apply directly to become an agricultural inspector, you'll usually need A levels or equivalent and at least 2 years' relevant work experience, for example as an agricultural machine operator.
A professional qualification in health and safety would also be useful, for example a course offered through NEBOSH or IOSH.
Career tips
You're most likely to find jobs with a government-related agency, for instance:
- Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
- Heath and Safety Executive
- Red Tractor scheme
Further information
You can find more details about working as an agricultural inspector from Tasty Careers and The Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.