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Unit Group

8412 Livestock Farm Workers

OSCA - Occupation Standard Classification for Australia
Reference period
2024, Version 1.0

8412 Livestock Farm Workers

Perform routine tasks in livestock, meat, milk, egg, honey and wool production.

OSCA skill level

The occupations in this unit group have a skill level corresponding to the qualifications and experience below.

  • Skill Level 4: AQF Certificate II, AQF Certificate III, or at least one year of relevant experience
  • Skill Level 5: AQF Certificate I, or compulsory secondary education
Occupation

841231 Beef Cattle Farm Worker

Performs routine tasks on a beef cattle farm, such as feeding, mustering and moving cattle, and assisting with animal husbandry.

Alternative title

  • Station Hand (Beef)

Specialisation

  • Feedlot Worker (Beef Cattle)

Skill level: 4

Main tasks

  • Provides beef cattle with feed and water in accordance with feeding schedules, and monitors feed and water intake
  • Musters and droves beef cattle between paddocks, ensuring sufficient feed and water is available and pasture does not become degraded
  • Patrols, inspects and reports on the health, welfare and condition of beef cattle, and the condition of fences and other enclosures
  • Assists with animal husbandry practices and maintaining the health and welfare of beef cattle
  • Assists with the safe transportation of beef cattle to market or other locations
Occupation

841232 Cattle and Sheep Farm Worker

Performs routine tasks on a cattle and sheep farm, such as moving, feeding, counting and assisting with animal husbandry.

Skill level: 4

Main tasks

  • Assists with maintaining the health and welfare of cattle and sheep, including by patrolling, inspecting and reporting on their condition
  • Provides cattle and sheep with feed and water, and implements cattle and sheep feeding and welfare programs
  • Establishes pastures and crops for cattle and sheep production
  • Herds and droves cattle and sheep to access feed, as well as for shearing, milking and other farming operations
  • Undertakes general cattle and sheep farming activities, such as erecting and repairing fences, and maintaining and cleaning cattle and sheep housing
  • Operates and maintains general farm machinery, and water supply and irrigation systems
Occupation

841233 Dairy Cattle Farm Worker

Performs routine tasks on a dairy farm, such as breeding, raising, feeding, droving and milking cattle.

Skill level: 4

Main tasks

  • Assists with maintaining the health and welfare of dairy cattle, including by patrolling, inspecting and reporting on their condition
  • Provides dairy cattle with feed and water, and implements dairy cattle feeding and welfare programs
  • Establishes pastures and crops for dairy cattle production
  • Herds and droves dairy cattle to access feed, as well as for milking and other farming operations
  • Washes and cleans udders, uses and sterilises milking machines, and performs milking shed hygiene processes
  • Undertakes general dairy cattle farming activities, such as erecting and repairing fences, and maintaining and cleaning dairy cattle housing
  • Operates and maintains general farm machinery, and water supply and irrigation systems
Occupation

841234 Livestock Husbandry Worker

Performs animal husbandry duties for livestock, such as lamb marking, mulesing, vaccinating, drenching, foot paring and hoof trimming.

Farriers are excluded from this occupation. Farriers are included in Occupation 331933 Farrier.

Alternative title

  • Livestock Contractor

Specialisations

  • Barefoot Trimmer (Horses)
  • Cattle Hoof Trimmer
  • Lamb Marker
  • Muleser
  • Sheep Foot Parer

Skill level: 4

Main tasks

  • Assists with maintaining the health and welfare of livestock, including patrolling, inspecting and reporting on condition of livestock
  • Provides livestock with feed and water, and implements livestock welfare programs
  • Performs animal husbandry duties for livestock, such as lamb and calf marking, mulesing, foot paring and hoof trimming
  • Administers vaccines and drenches to livestock to prevent diseases
Occupation

841235 Piggery Farm Worker

Assists with routine tasks on a pig farm, such as breeding, farrowing, raising, feeding and animal husbandry.

Skill level: 4

Main tasks

  • Assists with maintaining the health and welfare of pigs, including by inspecting and reporting on their condition
  • Provides pigs with feed and water, and implements pig feeding and welfare programs
  • Assists with birthing and rearing of piglets
  • Moves and weighs pigs
  • Undertakes general pig farming activities, such moving and weighing pigs, and cleaning and maintaining pig housing and equipment
Occupation

841236 Poultry Farm Worker

Performs routine tasks on a poultry farm such as collecting eggs and placing them in incubators, providing poultry with feed and water, and disinfecting hatcheries to prevent disease.

Skill level: 4

Main tasks

  • Assists with maintaining the health and welfare of poultry, including by patrolling, inspecting and reporting on their condition
  • Provides poultry with feed and water, and implements poultry feeding and welfare programs
  • Carries out poultry hatching duties
  • Collects eggs and places eggs into incubators
  • Undertakes general farming and maintenance activities, such as erecting and repairing fences, and maintaining and cleaning poultry barns and sheds
  • Operates and maintains general poultry farm machinery and equipment
Occupation

841237 Sheep Farm Worker

Performs routine tasks on a sheep farm, such as feeding and herding sheep into pens in preparation for branding, shearing, crutching and yarding for sale.

Alternative title

  • Station Hand (Sheep)

Skill level: 4

Main tasks

  • Assists with maintaining the health and welfare of sheep, including by patrolling, inspecting and reporting on their condition
  • Provides sheep with feed and water, and implements sheep feeding and welfare programs
  • Establishes pastures and crops for sheep production
  • Herds and droves sheep to access feed, as well as for shearing, milking and other farming operations
  • Undertakes general sheep farming activities, such as erecting and repairing fences, and maintaining and cleaning sheep housing
  • Operates and maintains general farm machinery, and water supply and irrigation systems
Occupation

841238 Stablehand

Assists with handling of horses, and maintaining and cleaning stables.

Registration or licensing may be required.

Specialisations

  • Horse and Stud Worker
  • Horse Strapper
  • Stable Groom
  • Stud Groom

Skill level: 4

Main tasks

  • Feeds, waters, grooms and brushes horses to maintain their health, appearance and cleanliness
  • Cleans and maintains stables
  • Assembles, prepares and stores feed, bedding and horse equipment
  • Assists with saddling and bridling horses
  • Assists with exercising horses by walking, lunging and long reining, riding (excluding galloping), leading and swimming
  • May assist with readying horses for sales, breeding and race days, and attending to horses at track work, barrier trials and races
  • May administer equine first aid and assist in the delivery of some allied therapies, including massage therapies and ice boots
Occupation

841241 Wool Handler

Regulates the flow of sheep to be shorn, keeps the shearing shed clean and tidy, and assists with wool clip preparation.

Alternative titles

  • Shearing Shed Hand
  • Shearing Shed Worker

Skill level: 5

Main tasks

  • Herds sheep into pens and keeps mobs separate during shearing
  • Monitors and maintains the supply of sheep to shearers
  • Spreads fleeces on skirting tables for classing, presses wool and brands bales
  • Maintains shearing shed cleanliness, including by removing wool waste and contaminants
Occupation

841299 Livestock Farm Workers nec

This occupation group covers Livestock Farm Workers not elsewhere classified.

Skill level: 5

Occupations in this group include:

  • Apiary Assistant
  • Crocodile Farm Worker
  • Goat Farm Worker