Application
This unit of competency describes the skills and knowledge required to identify and select animals for breeding.
This unit applies to supervisors and managers on livestock farms.
All work must be carried out to comply with workplace procedures, work health and safety, animal welfare and biosecurity legislation and codes of practice and sustainability practices.
This unit applies to individuals who take responsibility for their own work and for the quality of the work of others within known parameters. They use discretion and judgement in the selection, allocation and use of available resources and provide and communicate solutions to a range of predictable and sometimes unpredictable problems.
No occupational licensing, legislative or certification requirements are known to apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Element | Performance criteria |
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Identify breeding selection criteria | 1.1 Reference enterprise production records and reaffirm enterprise production goals in the breeding program 1.2 Source the heritability of the desired performance characteristics and identify the potential for genetic improvement 1.3 Determine criteria for selection and record them in the production plan |
2. Select animals for breeding | 2.1 Assess accurately animals against selection criteria 2.2 Determine and organise culling and replacement practices to improve the performance of the enterprise breeding program 2.3 Check and monitor selected livestock to ensure maintenance of condition and welfare status in accordance with breeding program requirements 2.4 Conduct or organise tests using recognised industry methods and evaluate within appropriate breeding program parameters |
Evidence of Performance
The candidate must be assessed on their ability to integrate and apply the performance requirements of this unit in a workplace setting. Performance must be demonstrated consistently over time and in a suitable range of contexts.
The candidate must provide evidence that they can:
develop selection criteria for a breeding program
select animals that have defects in conformation and /or productivity
select animals that display characteristics associated with desirable genetic traits
select animals according to a breeding program's selection criteria
assess and record performance information
Evidence of Knowledge
The candidate must demonstrate knowledge of:
principles of genetic selection for multi traits
structural abnormalities and their potential impact on production
correlated traits
market requirements and related physical and measurable traits
enterprise animal selection criteria
strategies for animal selection -including individual traits, measured performance, Estimated Breeding Value (EBVs & ASBVs), and indexes
use of breeding value percentile tables
Assessment Conditions
Competency is to be assessed in the work place or simulated environments that accurately reflect performance in a real workplace setting.
Assessors must satisfy current standards for RTOs.
Foundation Skills
Foundation Skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.
Range Statement
Sectors
Livestock (LSK)