52nd Report - Resilience to threats from animal disease

The government is establishing a government veterinary services working group to create a workforce strategy and will consult on reforms to the Veterinary Surgeon’s Act. It also provided specific milestones for digital transformation, including a customer contact form by spring 2026 and a customer portal by 2026-27.

APHA is implementing initiatives including an Animal By-Product Risk Matrix Review and a Private Veterinary Laboratory Project (due March 2026) to enhance surveillance. It will set out a clear plan and milestones within six months and, by February 2027, will review all surveillance activities for a targeted, risk-based approach.

The department states it has implemented the recommendation by writing to the Committee on 18 September 2025 with the strategic plan for the Weybridge redevelopment, and committed to providing annual updates on its progress.

The government agrees, stating it has stepped up communications for travellers regarding import restrictions and is undertaking research to improve estimates of illegal meat imports, with a new methodology details to be published in early 2026. It is actively considering increased funding for Dover Port Health Authority, taking into account disease outbreak costs, but notes Border Force is funded by the Home Office.

The government agrees to the Committee’s recommendation and will manage vet capacity challenges through pay allowances, consider the Home Office's regulatory reform programme, establish a government veterinary services working group, and consult on reform of the Veterinary Surgeon’s Act.

The department is establishing a government veterinary services working group to create a workforce strategy and will consult on reform of the Veterinary Surgeon’s Act, which will include regulation for Allied Veterinary Professionals and legal protection for the title of Veterinary Nurses.

APHA is undertaking risk-based surveillance activities and will have a clear plan with milestones within six months to track delivery of audit recommendations, including an Animal By-Product (ABP) Risk Matrix Review and a Private Veterinary Laboratory Project. By February 2027, APHA will review all surveillance activities to ensure a targeted, risk-based approach.

The government agrees to the Committee’s recommendation and outlines the Delivering Sustainable Futures (DSF) Programme, which has a £10.9 million funding provision for 2025-26 and approximately the same year on year until 2029-30, totalling £62.8 million over the six years. The programme provides APHA with a clear plan for transforming end-to-end disease and pest management processes and systems with a target implementation date of February 2027.

The department wrote to the Committee on 18 September 2025 setting out the programme’s strategic plan and will provide the Committee with an annual update on its progress.

The government will introduce changes to cattle identification, registration and reporting from summer 2026, including mandatory Electronic Identification (EID) for all new-born calves from 2027 and a new cattle movement reporting system. Expansion to cover additional species is planned from 2027 onwards.

The government agrees with the recommendation and VMD will publish a five-year multi-stakeholder action plan to improve vaccine supply by late 2026; Defra will work with VMD as the plan is developed. Defra has worked with manufacturers and industry to expedite emergency use of a Bluetongue 3 vaccine and supported the joint industry-government avian influenza vaccine taskforce. An application for approval of the Cattle BCG vaccine was made in September 2025.

The government has allocated £62.8 million for APHA's modernisation programme, which has a clear plan and specific milestones. This includes developing a digital customer contact form by spring 2026, a strategic licensing platform by spring 2026, in-field data capture by summer 2026, and a customer-facing portal by 2026-27.

The government agrees, committing to introduce changes to cattle identification from summer 2026, including mandatory Electronic Identification (EID) for new-born calves from 2027, and expanding coverage to other species from 2027. It also states that the Livestock Information Transformation Programme is working with devolved governments for an aligned approach.

The government agrees and commits to publishing a five-year multi-stakeholder Action Plan for securing adequate animal vaccine supply in late 2026, with Defra working with VMD on its development. It also highlights ongoing efforts like expediting a Bluetongue 3 vaccine and progress on a Bovine TB cattle vaccine application.

The government agrees, detailing recent cross-government exercises (Pegasus, ASPEN) in 2025 to test disease response, with reports due by March 2026. From January 2026, APHA will launch a new approach to internal preparedness assurance, embedding exercising and tiered preparedness ratings.

The government agrees and will apply the lessons from Exercise Pegasus, a cross-government exercise carried out between September and October 2025, and a post-exercise report will be delivered in due course.

The department is establishing a government veterinary services working group to create a workforce strategy and will consult on reform of the Veterinary Surgeon’s Act, which will include regulation for Allied Veterinary Professionals and legal protection for the title of Veterinary Nurses.

The Delivering Sustainable Futures (DSF) Programme has a £10.9 million funding provision for 2025-26 and approximately the same year on year until 2029-30, totalling £62.8 million over the six years and will pivot to commence end- to-end services from 2026-27. It will include a digital customer contact form (spring 2026), a platform for endemic and exotic licencing capability (spring 2026), workforce management (summer 2026), and risk-based determination of disease movement licence applications (autumn 2026).

The department will provide the Committee with an annual update on its progress redeveloping Weybridge.

From summer 2026, the department will introduce changes to cattle identification, registration and reporting including mandatory EID for all new-born calves from 2027. Expansion to cover additional species (sheep, goats, deer and pigs) will occur from 2027 onwards.