Animal Health and Welfare Strategy
Animal health and welfare
All of the documents referred to on this page can be read by clicking on the link to the Publications Index on the right of the screen
The GB Animal Health and Welfare Strategy was launched in June 2004. The 10-year Strategy acknowledges;
- the need to take a more strategic approach to the management of activities undertaken by Government and others.
- Highlights the importance of a partnership approach.
The Strategy aims to improve:
- the health and welfare of kept animals
- protect the public from animal diseases
- and protecting the economic and social well being of people and the environment.
It sets out a vision for animal health and welfare in Great Britain, showing where we want to be in 2014. This is a strong challenge for everyone involved and the Strategy contains important guiding principles showing what needs to be done.
Wales Animal Health & Welfare Strategy Steering Committee
The Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Great Britain was launched in June 2004.The Animal Health and Welfare Strategy Steering Committee was set up in October 2004. It was requested by the Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside, to oversee the implementation of the strategy in Wales.
For further information about the Steering Committee, including the minutes of their meetings please refer to related links.
Annual Action Plan for Wales
A Wales Action Plan has been developed in partnership with industry representatives on the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy Steering Committee. With their views taken on board where possible.
The Plan will take forward those aspects of the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy (AHWS) over which Wales has direct control setting out what is being done and reporting on progress. The Plan will be updated annually in close consultation with Welsh stakeholders.
Targets achieved in the 2005 - 06 Action Plan included an Artificial Insemination (AI) service to help farmers increase the scrapie resistance of purebred sheep and the establishment of an intensive treatment area for bovine tuberculosis.
Targets achieved in the 2006-07 Annual Action Plan included awareness raising campaigns for Strangles; Hydatid Disease and Sheep Scab, implementation of Pre-Movement Testing of cattle, development and promotion of the use of Animal Health Plans throughout Wales and commencement of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Please visit the Publications Index to see the full action plan.
The third Wales Annual Action Plan 2007-08, includes new pages on Parasitology and outlines progress made on the Animal Health & Welfare priorities for 2006-07. The Welsh Assembly Government has set what it believes to be achievable targets to help prioritise areas of importance and improve the focus of activities. Please visit the Publications Index to see the full action plan.
Animal Health and Welfare Strategy Priorities 2007 - 08
The Wales AHWS Steering Committee members met on the 14 May 2007. At this meeting, members were asked to consider to 2007-08 priority list drawn up by the Chief Veterinary Officer, Wales. Committee members were then asked to place the list in their priority order.
To view the 2007-08 Priority List please visit the Publications Index. On the agreed final list, the top 4 items are ranked in priority order whilst all other animal health and welfare challenges received an equal weighting.
EU Animal Health and Welfare Strategy
Following a wide-ranging evaluation and consultation process the European Commission conducted an evaluation of EU animal health policy from 1995 - 2004, the final report was published in summer 2006. Based on the consultation, including the output of an EU stakeholder conference, the Commission published a Communication setting out the EU's Animal Health Strategy for 2007-2013 on 19 September 2007. The Council and the Parliament are expected to adopt their positions on the Communication in the near future. Further information on this can be found on the Defra website (external link)
Animal Health Planning Subgroup
The AHWS Steering Committee has established a subgroup to promote the Strategy theme of working in partnership with the industry to develop Animal Health Plans.
TB Action Group
As part of mainstreaming our approach to the disease, the responsibilities of the former Wales TB Action Group have now been assumed by the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy Steering Committee. Countryside Council for Wales, Young Farmers' Clubs Cymru and Wales Environment Link have joined the Steering Committee in order to ensure all organisations once represented on the Wales TB Action Group continue to participate in TB related discussions.
Responsibility and Cost Sharing
A key principle of the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy is that the cost and responsibility of livestock health and welfare should be appropriately balanced between the Industry and the taxpayer. In Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government, the Farming Industry and other interested parties are working in partnership to explore whether it is possible to apply more coherent principles to the compensation and costs of managing animal disease and develop a more sensible and equitable sharing of responsibilities and costs of both exotic and endemic disease between government and industry which balance public benefits.
The establishment of responsibility and cost sharing schemes is seen as a means of promoting the Animal Health and Welfare Strategic aims of prevention being better than cure and the clarification of the roles and responsibilities of all key partners.
