Welsh relaunch plan to raise animal welfare standards
© Tim Scrivener An action plan aimed at improving livestock health and welfare standards has been launched in Wales.
The Welsh government’s new Animal Health and Welfare Implementation Plan covers 2022-24 and is the latest part of a 10-year plan first launched in 2014.
The government says the implementation plan has been published amid the combined challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit, the climate crisis – and at a time when there are significant numbers of avian influenza cases across the UK.
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Key aspects include:
- Voluntary screening for bovine viral diarrhoea to continue to December 2022, allowing time to develop legislation for compulsory screening
- A series of amendments to the current registration and movement reporting processes for sheep, goats, cattle and pigs, together with the proposed implementation of bovine electronic identification
- Collaboration with farm assurance schemes to gather information on the use of anthelmintics on Welsh sheep and beef farms
- Incorporating biosecurity as a key part of the planned new Sustainable Farming Scheme.
The government wants to see a significant reduction in the incidences of sheep scab outbreaks in Wales.
It also aims to introduce the requirement for CCTV to be installed in all slaughterhouses in Wales within the next two years.
“Reviving and relaunching our implementation plan now provides an opportunity to put animal health and welfare at the forefront in addressing the issues and challenges we face,” said rural affairs minister Lesley Griffiths.
“We want every animal in Wales to have a good-quality life and this is reflected in our programme for government, giving us an opportunity to build on all we have achieved since animal health and welfare powers were devolved to Wales.”
A new framework will be introduced in 2024.