NSA welcomes launch of Animal Health & Welfare Pathway

The National Sheep Association (NSA) has welcomed the launch of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway (AHWP).  The association first started to talk publicly about the potential for such a scheme for sheep as early as 2014.

The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway is a long-term, project partnership, co-designed by government and industry, across cattle, sheep, pig and poultry sectors to support continual improvement in health and welfare.

Over time the scheme will financially incentivise and reward farmers’ production of healthier, higher welfare animals and will include an annual review from a vet of the farmers’ choosing to discuss the health and welfare of their animals. This will include a wormer treatment check, a discussion over the potential for improving productivity through improved flock health, and a review of biosecurity and the use of medicines.

NSA Chief Executive, Phil Stocker says: “NSA is encouraged to see the launch of the AHWP and warmly welcomes this as the first step in incentives to encourage vets and livestock farmers to work together on health and welfare. While we are pleased to see this new scheme open now, for many sheep farmers there may be no immediate hurry to apply, even though they can. One of the stipulations of the scheme is a requirement to do a worming treatment check within six months of applying and with the best time for such a check to be carried out during the summer months, some farmers may wait before applying to ensure this is completed at the most appropriate time.”

The AHWP is an important pillar of the government’s manifesto commitment to protect and enhance farm animal health and welfare, and to maintain and build on existing world-leading standards

Mr Stocker continues: “The Pathway veterinary review can be utilised as a key component in improving the health of sheep flocks across the nation and NSA is confident that more investment in health management will increase flock productivity. The review for sheep is intended to be an overview that can explore any health, parasite, or welfare subject but the one thing everyone has to do is a worm egg count via an approved laboratory, with the capacity to do a further post drench check if worming is advised to see how effective the treatment has been. NSA has been keen to see this approach since 2014 and is especially pleased that it has now come to fruition.”

Mr Stocker concludes: “NSA believes the AHWP will be a helpful and effective tool in maintaining and improving animal health and welfare. The initial veterinary review by the farm's vet is just the first step and we expect Pathway to then expand to offer more in depth screening or monitoring for specific diseases or parasites that might be holding back flock performance. NSA’s one criticism of this initial offer is simply that we feel the rates offered have not taken account of general cost increases in the same way that the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and the Countryside Stewardship (CS) schemes have recently recognised. There are many gains to be made from improving health and welfare and we don’t want the potential  of the programme to be threatened by inadequate investment.”