Spent a day with some of our Trading Standards team learning more about the work they do. As ever, amazed by the breadth of the work NCC does around the county.
First of all I went to the Library in Great Yarmouth (which by the way looks fabulous since it has been refurbished). The Library were hosting a social event for their WRVS workers . They have added a community library service to the other work that they do, by delivering books to those who cannot get out to do this themselves. Doesn’t matter what your circumstances are! If you genuinely cannot get to the Library yourself, they will deliver the book to you! Amazing.
At these annual get-togethers a speaker is invited, so this year it was the turn of Trading Standards. A good opportunity for them in turn to pass on lots of information about rogue traders, illegal money lenders and now their Trusted Trader and No Cold Calling schemes. Sadly you dont have to be elderly & frail to be taken in by all sorts of scams and the additional help of these WRVS workers will prove very useful.
In the afternoon I moved over to the farming team and went on an inspection visit to a small-holding. Again really interesting. All sorts of animals being kept, for breeding, showing and for sale/slaughter (turkeys for Christmas, for instance). Trading Standards need to check that both the animals are being well cared for but also to ensure the paperwork is correct and up-to-date.
I have often heard that the amount of paperwork is huge, and I can confirm it! extraordinary amount of paperwork needs to be kept. On sales/purchases, movements, drugs administered etc.
What did I learn? Goats dont like the rain but like being photographed…

OK, so why did I have to come out of the warm?
Having managed to get the goat from her shed to somewhere nice and dry underfoot, and after making faces at her owner,

Ok, then I can do it!
she went quickly into photogenic mode and started posing for the camera!
As you drive around the county you are only half conscious of all the large farms that are there but there are hundreds of small holdings too. They all have to be checked, some more than others of course.
I also learned that show animals include circus animals, donkeys on the beach and any other animal you might see performing.
Going back to paperwork ….I now know that county-wide & fast broadband is critical for this sector too. With only a dial-up system the data takes ages to transfer - bearing in mind all the checks are there to help prevent the spread of disease and ensure that only animals safe for human consumption can enter the food chain!!
Another time I shall spend some time in the Trading Standards laboratory…. there is only one other similar lab within a local authority and they are second only to a national one. Measuring down to .000000 decimal points weighing and measuring i.e. even measuring evaporation! and having equipment that can “sniff” lead in paint.