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NOAH welcomes future farming plan
The plan will focus on tackling endemic diseases in cattle and pigs.
Plan will initially focus on tackling endemic diseases in cattle and pigs.

Plans announced by Defra to invest in improving animal health and welfare have been welcomed by the National Office for Animal Health (NOAH).

On Monday (30 November), the Government published its 'Agricultural Transition Plan' outlining a new system for farming in England. Under the plan, farmers will be rewarded for providing higher standards of animal welfare and environmental protection measures. 

Initially, the plan will focus on tackling endemic diseases in cattle and pigs. Welcoming the move, NOAH's chief executive Dawn Howard said the ambitions “echo those of NOAH’s Vision Paper” and will “deliver benefits in terms of welfare, productivity, sustainability and resilience of farms.”

“We are pleased to see a timetable for the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway for England,” she said. “However, disease knows no borders, and a key principle set out in our 2019 Vision paper is to encourage meaningful co-operation between the devolved nations, as they each take responsibility for the health and welfare of the animals."

She added: “NOAH will promote collaboration through its participation in groups such as the Ruminant Health and Welfare Group and look forward to working with DEFRA to help support delivery.” 

NOAH’s Vision Paper proposes a holistic approach to improve livestock health, welfare and farm businesses, suggesting incentivisation of endemic disease control programmes and support for vaccination. 

Dawn continued: “Vaccination is one key tool that can be used in the push to tackle endemic disease...They are vital tools that should be harnessed at a population level and implemented into the management protocols of all livestock farms, supporting them to be proactive and progressive and forming a part of each farm health plan.

“As DEFRA’s Transition Plan explains, this commitment to reduce disease will also help further support the industry’s already tremendous response to the challenge of reducing the need for antibiotics and hence continue to play our part in the fight against antimicrobial resistance."

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."