Latest updates from Ruminant Health & Welfare

Welcome to RH&W’s latest newsletter

As warmer weather takes over and the industry moves through a busy spring towards summer, attention turns to keeping animals healthy and monitoring disease risk. It is a timely reminder that good health planning, strong biosecurity and practical on-farm preparedness are everyday tools that protect welfare, productivity and resilience. Especially as conditions become drier and preparation for potential droughts becomes increasingly important.

At the latest RH&W steering group meeting, we discussed a wide range of issues that underline the need for continued collaboration throughout industry, veterinary, government and farmer organisations across the four nations.

We began with an update on the Beef Welfare Strategy, which was launched on the 19^th May. I am grateful to everyone who has helped shape the strategy, to the CVOs and signatories who have signed up to support it, as well as those who attended and spoke on the launch webinar.

Also in the meeting, Joe Henry, chair of the RH&W health subgroup, updated us on key priorities. Sheep scab remains a major endemic issue and any new treatment options must sit within a wider control strategy. Pasteurellosis in lambs was also highlighted as an area needing modern research, including work to better understand strains, epidemiology and disease drivers.

In cattle, we discussed clostridial vaccination. While vaccines are effective and good value, uptake can be limited by handling pressures, especially in suckler herds. The group will explore whether clearer guidance and more data on concurrent vaccine use could support practical decision-making.

The EUROP grid was also considered from a health and welfare perspective, with concerns it may incentivise highly muscled cattle in ways that can affect calving ease, neonatal losses and fertility, without necessarily rewarding eating quality.

Foot-and-mouth disease preparedness prompted strong discussion, particularly around the UK’s response capacity and the need for clear communication with farmers and vets.

Miranda Paulson from AHDB gave an excellent presentation to demonstrate how the pig industry contingency planned for African swine fever. The pig sector’s ‘workshop in a box’ approach, using vets, farm maps and practical templates, offers useful lessons for the ruminant sector and shows how farm-level planning can improve response times and reduce stress to animals.

Finally, Hayley Whiten, veterinary investigation officer from APHA, updated us on AMR surveillance and the private laboratories initiative, which is helping government understand antimicrobial resistance data held outside public systems. The work also highlighted the need to harmonise methods, language and reporting across labs.

Taken together, these discussions were a brilliant way to show the value of the group: identifying gaps and turning concern into practical next steps.

Thank you to all speakers and contributors.

Gwyn Jones, RH&W Chair