EU Dairy Farming Training - Bixter Academy

Bixter Academy partnered with VetSalus to develop a dairy farming training course, designed to help incoming international workers become the most attractive candidates for EU employers.

During the latter half of 2025, VetSalus partnered with Bixter Academy to support the development of their training courses, which are designed to prepare international workers for the realities of working on farms in Europe. Bixter Academy’s unique platform provides training that blends cultural awareness, professional sector skills, workplace readiness and language skills, which are vitally important in supporting modern agricultural practices. 

Bixter Academy were seeking expert veterinary input to review their curriculum, write lesson content and provide quality assurance of the training materials they had already developed. The topics included were wide ranging, from the history of European dairy farming and breeds of cattle, through to hygiene protocols, Total Mixed Ration (TMR) mixing, animal handling and milking techniques, plus many more. Our consultant, Thomas Dahl Nissen, also produced short instructional videos showing various work flows that farm workers would need to be familiar with on dairy farms. 

The intent of the course is to give new workers basic knowledge about how the modern farm operates, what the work routines look like, and why they matter. As the world's first cultural competency training provider, Bixter is committed to their responsible approach to international recruitment. 

Alina Stepaniuk, Head of Marketing at Bixter Work, explained the reasons for developing the course and the input that VetSalus had in that process: 

We want international candidates to arrive on EU dairy farms genuinely prepared - already aligned with the local work culture, animal welfare expectations, and the daily routines that keep operations running smoothly. As we strengthened our curriculum, we were looking for experienced veterinary expertise to review the content, sharpen the technical accuracy, and ensure consistently high-quality course materials. 

That’s why we chose to work with VetSalus: their practical, farm-first approach helped make the training credible, current, and directly relevant to what workers face on the ground. The course was developed as a partnership with input from highly qualified veterinarians and grounded in real-life farm practice, giving employers confidence that expectations and safety standards are clear from day one. 

Working with the VetSalus team has been straightforward and highly professional—their feedback was clear, practical, and delivered in a way that helped us improve quickly without losing momentum. The impact is practical and measurable: fewer mistakes, safer work, faster integration into existing teams, higher retention, and stronger overall performance. Our next step is to bring these outcomes to life through a podcast series for Danish employers.

Rune Friis Kristensen, VetSalus CEO, said:

VetSalus is very pleased to announce our partnership with Bixter Academy. VetSalus' entire purpose is ‘Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals’, and this ethos begins at the farm gate. By providing a veterinary-approved training package for international candidates before they arrive in the EU, Bixter is helping farmers to ensure their workforce is committed to the high animal health and welfare standards we have come to expect in a modern agricultural system.

VetSalus also spoke with consultant Thomas Dahl Nissen, to understand his experience working on the project. 

My involvement on this project meant reviewing and quality-assuring all the cattle-related material Bixter has prepared for Bixter Academy. I comment and correct wherever something can be more accurate or clearer. I can highly recommend working as a VetSalus consultant. It is professionally relevant, gives you the opportunity to use your expertise in new ways – and you will definitely gain experience that you can take with you going forward.

VetSalus were delighted to partner with Bixter Academy, and look forward to working with their team on future projects. VetSalus can provide a wide range of CPD education to veterinarians and paraprofessionals within the agricultural sector. We can provide exclusive cohorts of our online courses, deliver in-person training at a venue to suit you, or help you develop your own educational materials. To find out more about our bespoke training packages, please contact us.

Disclaimer: Bixter Academy provides training and preparation. Course completion does not guarantee job placement, but increases employability and readiness for EU employers.