Animal health and welfare

Underpinning the reputation of livestock production through good health and welfare.

The reputation of British agriculture is vital to safeguard domestic and international trade.

From improving livestock health to responsible medicine use, our evidence-based resources can help you make your business more resilient, productive and profitable.

This supports you in providing public goods like food safety, quality and security, enhanced welfare and a reduced environmental footprint.

In turn, this enables us to demonstrate the commitment of British agriculture to global one-health goals.

Our priorities focus on three key areas:

• Disease reduction and control measures
• Access to appropriate medicines
• Enhancing reputation and welfare

Disease reduction and control measures

We help tackle, manage and prepare for key diseases such as African swine fever, swine dysentery, Johne's, bluetongue and bovine TB, as well as providing evidence-based, good-practice guidance for disease prevention and control measures at both a national and farm level.

We play a key role in identifying solutions to industry challenges and seeking advances in practical livestock science.

Preventing disease in livestock is a smart way to boost farm efficiency, slow the development of drug resistance and protect the land for future generations.

Sick animals have poor welfare, greater labour, vet and medicine inputs and the highest environmental footprint – costing them, you and the environment more.

Explore our sector-specific disease pages for technical information, good practice and guidance.

Access to appropriate medicines

Medicines are a vital tool in livestock production, and maintaining their availability and efficacy is important.

We promote and demonstrate responsible use of medicines to protect livestock and our industry’s reputation.

Increasingly, responsible medicine use is a focus in trade discussions and food safety, as well as the wider benefits for good human and environmental health.

Enhancing reputation and welfare

Livestock farming is a challenging but rewarding job. Good stockpeople are essential for good animal welfare and consumers are increasingly seeking evidence of the care that goes into how our food is produced.

By demonstrating and promoting good welfare, we provide evidence that reassures consumers about their food.

We work with experts to deliver training, such as the UK Pig Industry Welfare Training platform, and with stakeholders to create and deliver practical support and tools, such as Healthy Feet, and advancements, such as the UK Welfare Strategies.

How we deliver our priorities

Horizon scanning

We actively look for emerging threats – be that new diseases, welfare issues or medicines availability.

We focus on threats affecting animal welfare, humans, and food safety and security. We do this through collaborations – both nationally and internationally – with experts, stakeholders and the farming community.

Providing evidence to influence policy

We actively seek to fill gaps in evidence and we pride ourselves on providing independent robust data that we and our industry can stand behind – even if sometimes it identifies where improvements are needed.

Examples include our rapid evidence assessments of farrowing systems and lamb castration methods, as well as reviewing the pig industry structure in Great Britain on behalf of Defra.

Collaborating with stakeholders

We support multiple stakeholder groups by providing expertise and, in some cases, funding.

We bring together emerging knowledge from academia through to on-farm practice right along the food chain.

We share the findings and implications with the industry so they can make changes where necessary and apply cutting-edge technology and knowledge where appropriate.

Showing leadership

We do not shy away from issues but identify practical solutions and strategies that can support you, for example, the Battle Bluetongue campaign.

Where change is needed, we identify potential opportunities and evaluate the impacts the changes could have on your business. We also provide support and guidance to help you make informed decisions.

We lead where there is opportunity and collaborate where a shared approach will deliver greater impact.

From money matters to mental health, when faced with challenges, help is at hand.