Health
RSPCA welfare standards
for domestic/common ducks
37 February 2015
* indicates an amendment
* Medication
H 4.1 * Any medication used must be:
a) legal for use in the UK
b) administered in accordance with UK and EU legislation.
It is recommended that producers obtain, read and where appropriate, apply the advice contained
within the latest version of:
a) Guidelines on Responsible Use of Antimicrobials in Poultry Production, issued by the
Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) Alliance, www.ruma.org.uk
b) Code of practice on the responsible use of animal medicines on the farm, issued by the
Veterinary Medicine Directorate
c) Veterinary Medicines: safe use by farmers and other handlers, issued by the Health and
Safety Executive.
H 4.2 All personnel involved in the administration of animal medicines must be competent to do so.
H 4.3 * Medicine administration records must include the following information:
a) identity of medicine or therapy
b) batch numbers
c) quantity of medicine or therapy administered
d) identification of the bird or group of birds to which administered
e) the number of birds treated
f) date of administration
g) date treatment finished (if multiple treatment)
h) name of person administering the medicine or therapy
i) reason for treatment.
H 4.4 * Medicines must be:
a) clearly labelled, stored and used in accordance with the label instructions
b) kept in a secure, lockable store that is:
(i) safe from animals, children and birds, and
(ii) separate from food producing areas.
H 4.5 Written procedures must be in place, and must be followed at all times, for the safe disposal of
pharmaceutical waste, needles and other sharps.