Veterinary Surgeons Regulation 2016

For section 2A(3)(a) of the Act, the following acts done for animal husbandry or animal dentistry are not veterinary science—

castrating—

cattle or sheep of less than 6 months; or

goats of less than 2 months; or

pigs of less than 3 weeks;

dehorning—

cattle of less than 6 months; or

goats or sheep of less than 3 months;

spaying cattle using the Willis dropped-ovary technique;

tailing sheep of less than 6 months;

mulesing sheep of less than 1 year;

filing or rasping a horse’s teeth;

artificial insemination of cattle, deer, goats, pigs or sheep;

teaching techniques about pregnancy testing of cattle by a veterinary surgeon to an owner of cattle;

pregnancy testing of cattle using rectal palpation or transrectal ultrasound by a person accredited to use rectal palpation or transrectal ultrasound to test for pregnancy in cattle under an approved cattle procedures accreditation scheme;

injecting an animal with lidocaine, if—

the lidocaine comprises not more than 2% of an injectable preparation that—

is packaged in a container designed to be resistant to being opened; and

can only be administered through a rubber ring applicator that includes an injector; and

the injection is given in conjunction with an act mentioned in paragraph (a)(i) or (d);

spraying an animal wound with lidocaine, if—

the lidocaine comprises not more than 4.5% of an aqueous gel preparation designed to be sprayed on animal wounds; and

the wound is caused by an act mentioned in paragraph (a)(i), (b)(i) or (d).

In this section—

approved cattle procedures accreditation scheme see the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001, section 93A.

prescribed instrument, for the Willis dropped-ovary technique, means an instrument made of stainless steel that has—

a handle in the shape of the letter ‘T’; and

at its other end, a flattened spearhead with a slit that—

is in the forward end of the spearhead; and

has a sharp edge at the end of the slit closest to the forward end of the spearhead; and

joins an oval hole at the other end of the slit.

Willis dropped-ovary technique means a technique for spaying cattle that involves dropping ovaries into the abdomen by using a prescribed instrument to—

enter the abdomen by piercing the wall of the vagina with the instrument’s spearhead; and

place each ovary, by rectal manipulation, in the oval hole in the instrument’s spearhead; and

sever the ovaries with the sharp edge of the slit in the instrument’s spearhead by retracting the instrument.