Livestock health and welfare strategy 2025 to 2030

Background and context

It is over 20 years since the first Great Britain’s animal health and welfare (AHW) strategy was produced in 2004. That 10-year strategy was developed after the 2001 foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak and the recommendations from the enquiries and reports that followed.

Reflecting on what has and has not changed over the two decades since the first GB AHW strategy, it is clear that the threat of exotic disease incursion remains. The risks are currently considered to be increasing due to globalisation, through expansion of international trade and travel, migration and climate change. This topic is covered extensively in scientific literature and was considered in a House of Lords debate in January 2024, in which biosecurity was discussed alongside energy and food security.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Synthesis Report 2023 is unequivocal in predicting that, in the near term, we will face “multiple risks to ecosystems and humans”, including a greater incidence of “food-borne, water-borne, and vector-borne diseases”. The risk associated with development of resistance to important therapeutic agents (i.e. antimicrobial resistance) was also highlighted by the House of Lords debate.

Since the 2004 strategy, we have sadly become familiar with outbreaks of avian influenza and incursions of bluetongue virus into the UK. Other previously ‘exotic’ diseases, such as West Nile virus, are now routinely identified in neighbouring European countries and the vectors responsible for transmitting them are already present in the UK. In this period we have also dealt with new diseases (Schmallenberg virus, Bovine neonatal pancytopaenia), feed or food contamination (Salmonella), and food fraud and adulteration (horse meat scandal). Emergence of new diseases and the continuing occurrence of incidents caused by humans remind us that zoonotic infections and other threats to public health are ever present.

The cultural and financial relationship between consumers, farmers and the food supply chain, continues to dominate discourse on how livestock are reared for food. Changing social and public attitudes to animal welfare also play a significant role in shaping views on the environmental and economic cost-benefit of production, as well as the prices paid for livestock products, particularly in major retailers. The post 1945 drive for food production later supported by EU-based financial support drove efficiency of production, resulting in affordable food with less focus on public values, such as the environment and welfare. As standards of living increased, farming systems have also developed along with growing scientific evidence and ethical debate about animal sentience. This has raised knowledge, consciousness and concern about animal welfare such that it can be considered part of the social licence associated with food production. This principle is now incorporated in both the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024 and the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022.

The challenge set to industry and government in the 2004 GB strategy contained some hard language, “there must be a marked change […]”, “a step change in performance”, “industry […] will need to alter its practices and culture”, “The challenge is nothing less than regaining public confidence in the way that animal owners, the veterinary profession and the Government manage disease risk”.

A wide range of changes and developments have taken place in the livestock sectors and in government in the intervening 20 years. These include:

• widespread membership of assurance schemes, within which there are audited animal health and welfare standards, additionally supported (and sometimes duplicated) by requirements of retail contracts
• marked improvements in livestock and food traceability
• improvements in awareness and practice of biosecurity requirements and practices

As an example of government facilitated change, it is worth noting that animal health and welfare planning was not widespread back in 2004. Veterinary practitioners were making efforts to encourage a “prevention is better than cure” approach, supporting the uptake of AHW planning using basic tools that were at their disposal. Assurance schemes also started to include AHW planning. Scottish Government ran two Common Agricultural Policy-supported schemes to encourage uptake and pay for actions supported by vets to be taken on farm. In 2025 the majority of cattle and sheep farms in Scotland, covering a high proportion of commercial livestock production, undertake AHW planning. This is required as part of Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Red Tractor assurance schemes membership and QMS have recently additionally required veterinary sign off on plans and actions. This coverage shows the significant change that industry has undertaken, which builds towards an overarching One Health mindset.

Lessons have been learned in government and industry from disease outbreaks and from regularly conducted exotic disease exercises. This has led to continuous change and improvement in government processes and systems. The number of vets available in Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) field services has reduced and the number of vets in large animal practice and with field experience of exotic disease control has declined. Against this, arrangements are in place for relocation of APHA veterinary resources to deal with outbreaks, and improvements have been made to the contracts with veterinary practices to ensure the provision of Contingency Official Veterinarians in the event of an outbreak.

There is stronger onus on keepers and vets in practice to be vigilant and report suspicion of disease, and on APHA and local authorities to react rapidly to ensure that multiple foci of infection do not occur or are minimised.

Industry sectors and cross-sector organisations such as QMS, the National Farmers Union of Scotland (NFUS), the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers (SAMW), the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers of Scotland (IAAS), the Ruminant Health and Welfare Group and Livestock Health Scotland have developed and evolved. They are well organised and work with government to co-design policies.

These are important points of difference compared to the status quo of the late 1990s. Our review of the 2016 to 2024 strategy period shows progress has continued and these advances provide grounds for optimism for further positive change in the coming years.