OVs Authorised by APHA in GB

The counts in the table below will be updated on the 1st of each month between 10.00 and 10.30am.

Please note:

The total number of OVs with each qualification will not always be the sum of the OVs holding that qualification in England, Wales and Scotland. This is due to some OVs being registered in more than one country (e.g. working across the border in both England and Wales).

The figures in the 'Total authorised OVs' row will not be the sum of all OVs authorised in each qualification. This is due to the fact that some OVs hold more than one qualification. 

The OCQ(V) - TT count gives the number of fully authorised OVs. It does not include the number of OVs with conditional status who are still in training.

OVs must revalidate their qualifications every four years, at which point a certain percentage may choose not to continue with the work. Therefore, there will occasionally be noticeable changes to counts caused by groups of OVs sharing the same revalidation due date. For example, the number of OVs authorised for the OCQ(V) - AX (Avian Exports) dropped in April 2022, as the revalidation date for a group of AX OVs fell in March 2022 and a number of these OVs chose not to revalidate.

As of September 2023, the counts include OVs authorised for both OCQ(V) - ES (Essential Skills) and OCQ(V) - EX (Exports General). This will account for any jump in the number of authorised OVs between August 2023 and September 2023.