ENFAR FAQs

Users will be able to search for nutritionists/feed advisers who meet their search criteria whilst having the peace of mind that whichever professional they pick, they have achieved a minimum standard of knowledge, commit to staying up to date with current thinking and recognise the importance of conducting themselves professionally.

The register will be online and accessed via the BETA website.

The register was created as a way for horse owners to have easy access to industry professionals who will be able to give evidence-based advice on how to feed their horse or pony. However, the register could be used by anyone looking for equine nutrition advice such as vets, physiotherapists, coaches, farriers, researchers, lecturers or others looking for contract manufacture of products, commercial writing or consultation to name a few.

No – the register is optional for those in the feed industry. There are several reasons why someone may wish not to register immediately – they may not want to be Early Career Nutritionists and so may wait until they have been in role 3 years, they may not have capacity for new clients, they may be thinking of a career change. Some may elect not to join the register at all if they don’t feel it is of relevance to them.

The BETA ENFAR register has no commercial bearing and so your job title cannot be used to upgrade your categorisation. It should be noted that the term “equine nutritionist” does not have protected status and so the definitions set out by BETA ENFAR reflect the typical roles in the equine industry. This is in contrast to human nutrition where dietitian does have protected status and so there is a clear differentiation between dietitians and nutritionists. The equine industry does not neatly fit into the same categories as for human nutrition and so there are some differences in terminology.

Yes, you are welcome to register as an Early Career Nutritionist or a Feed Adviser providing you meet the relevant criteria.

BETA has no influence over an employer and so cannot canvas or campaign on behalf of an individual. It is possible for an individual to be an associate member of BETA and join the scheme in their own right but this is not encouraged if it is likely to cause difficulties with an individual’s employer.

Whilst academic training is a requirement of being a nutritionist, there are a lot of other skills required to be a nutritionist. ENFAR showcases qualifications AND experience and has an emphasis on an evidence-based approach and tries to ensure members keep up to date by completing relevant CPD. All of these other skills are essential to be able to increase trust in the profession of nutritionist and are why the register highlights those that are early-career nutritionists.

Yes, if your role changes for example, you can change from one category to another assuming you meet the requirements for the new category. Your category on the register should reflect your role in order to ensure customers and clients can locate the most suitable person to advise them.

The separation between feed advisors and nutritionists is purely because they have different skill sets. The register recognises that people are giving feeding advice who are very experienced even though they may not hold higher qualifications. The register seeks to promote Feed Advisers as different by way of their skills and expertise, NOT less important.

No, the registration fee is over and above the annual fee and so in the first year, joining the register will cost £260 excluding VAT.

No, registration fees are non-refundable.

The CPD deadline will be 12 months from the date you are accepted on to the register and so if you enter the register in September 2025, your CPD record will be required September 2026.

The BETA ENFAR registrations committee are responsible for assessing applicants. The commitee is made up of individuals from across the industry.

Yes, if being on the register is still appropriate to you i.e. you are coming back into the industry or entering equine nutrition for the first time since graduating.

Yes, as long as they are to the same standard as those in the UK and or your experience is transferable to the UK. You will need to be able to evidence this during your application process.

No. This is a voluntary scheme set up by BETA. BETA reserves the right to revoke your membership which would effectively revoke your eligibility for ENFAR.

Yes. Please feel free to include the BETA ENFAR logo in your email signatures, add to name badges or promote in store. Please remember that acceptance to ENFAR demonstrates that you have met the criteria only and are adhering to the codes of practice outlined as part of your registration; it is not a tool to be used to rank yourself against other nutritionists or held out as a regulated or protected position.

No, if you are taking 6 months or more leave then your profile will be suspended and you won’t need to complete CPD. If you are intending to take less than 6 months then please contact the BETA office before you start your leave. On your return and depending how long your leave was, if you contact BETA again they will advise on what CPD you need to do going forward.

No, the BETA ENFAR is completely separate from the AIC FAR scheme

Yes, you are welcome to reapply for the Feed Advisor position. However, please note that any difference in application fees will not be refunded. The eligibility criteria are clearly outlined in the official code, and it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure they meet these requirements before applying. As such, BETA cannot be held responsible for any misinterpretation of the criteria. If you do not want to switch to Feed Advisor and want to try the nutrition assessment again, please contact BETA and this will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

You can still apply but you won’t be accepted on to the register until you complete the required number of hours of CPD as well as the rest of the application process.

Yes, if the provider agrees then all digital CPD content will be recorded and made available at a later date.

Both. There will be themed CPD sessions which will include Q&A but ECNs will have access to nutritionists on the scheme who will be able to have confidential conversations with them to further their learning and careers.

Yes within reason. Maximum CPD hours for reflection is to match the time of the CPD i.e. watching a 1hr webinar carries a maximum reflection period of 1hr.

Yes, again, within reason. As long as the CPD is relevant to your member status i.e. AMTRA CPD centred solely around anthelmintic planning would not count however AMTRA CPD centred around nutrition topics would be able to be transferred to ENFAR. CPD on other topics is very important for stimulating new ways of thinking and creativity – if you can demonstrate that some training has been beneficial and relevant to your role you should record it!

Yes they are to try and ensure that applicants complete them without referring to text books etc. Applications can be made in advance to the BETA office for more time for the assessment.

They could be but this isn’t necessarily a negative thing. Most companies would showcase the qualifications their employees have and a range of different skills and experiences is generally expected. Member profiles can be updated as and when skill sets change and so if a member is lacking experience in a specific area but dedicates some CPD time to developing that skill set, they could then update their biography or services offered section to reflect this. It should be remembered at all times that the register is not to be used to rank nutritionists in our industry against each other but to ensure a minimum standard across the profession to be able to give the sector increased credibility.

Although there are similarities between the registers, the AFN requirements are broader than ENFAR and so those registered with AFN will still have to go through the whole ENFAR registration process which is specific to equine nutrition. There is a section on member profiles to add other related registration bodies and so we encourage those who are RNutr to show this.

Yes they are to try and ensure that applicants complete them without referring to text books etc. Applications can be made in advance to the BETA office for more time for the assessment.