Farm Animals

Farm Animal Welfare and Veterinary Access

Regular veterinary input including health plans and flock or herd monitoring is essential for preventing welfare problems that develop without expert clinical oversight.

Key Facts

Herd health plans are required by some farm assurance schemes but not all
Veterinary antibiotic stewardship has dramatically reduced antibiotic use alongside herd health improvements
Regular veterinary visits enable early detection of emerging disease patterns
AHDB health monitoring schemes provide benchmarking against national data
Some welfare problems including subclinical mastitis require veterinary diagnostics to detect

Welfare Considerations

Veterinary involvement in farm health and welfare extends beyond treating sick animals to preventing conditions from developing through health planning and monitoring. Farms engaged with veterinary herd health planning achieve better welfare outcomes across multiple indicators compared to those receiving only reactive treatment services. Government support for veterinary herd health planning enables more farmers to access this welfare-improving service.

What You Can Do

Support mandatory herd health planning requirements for all livestock farms
Advocate for government funding supporting veterinary herd health services
Choose food from farms with documented veterinary health planning programmes
Encourage farmers to engage with veterinary advisers proactively rather than reactively
Support AHDB and other bodies providing veterinary training and guidance to farmers