Agricultural Inspector

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 carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

For the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), your day-to-day duties could include:

• checking machinery, buildings and the environment
• investigating accidents and complaints
• writing reports and making recommendations
• giving evidence in court 

For the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), your day-to-day duties could include:

• collecting and analysing data
• checking record keeping on farms
• investigating animal welfare concerns
• planning the control and prevention of animal and poultry disease

For food assurance inspection, your day-to-day duties could include checking:

• the health and welfare of livestock
• crop management and production methods
• the environmental impact of farming techniques
• animal feed
• livestock shelters are safe and the right size
• animal identification and veterinary treatments
• record keeping and documentation

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 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.