Updates to the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway make it more appealing, says NSA

The NSA has welcomed Defra’s announcement this week that the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway will allow English farms to apply for multiple government-funded vet visits if they have distinct flocks and herds within the same business.

NSA believes the long-awaited announcement, which came into effect from yesterday (26th June 2025), could be the trigger for  more sheep farmers to get involved in the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, building a valuable working relationship between them and their vets.

Previously, a mixed livestock farm could only apply for Pathway, the review and the endemics programme, for one sheep flock or cattle herd, but now a farmer with two or more distinct flocks, or a mixed sheep and a cattle farm can have a vet visit to cover both species and multiple distinct sheep flocks, bringing significant efficiencies and more meaningful funding support.

This development will result in Pathway becoming far more helpful for larger livestock farms, who until now may have questioned the relevance of the funding.  Now there is the potential for some farms to triple or even quadruple the amount of money that can be claimed, and additional claims can be added to most existing agreements.  

NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker says: “This is a really significant step forward which NSA wholeheartedly welcomes. Finally, those farmers with larger flocks and/or multiple flocks and even multiple species can cover all in one single visit if that’s what they want to do. This brings efficiencies and increases the value of both the review and the endemics parts of Pathway, and we would encourage all farmers to look seriously at signing up to the scheme, speaking to their vets and even to us here at NSA if they want help.

“Someone with two or three flocks can have two or three times the health and welfare review and endemics funding. It amounts to what has now become a significant amount of money. In addition, following the review, where Veterinary Attestation Numbers (VAN) numbers can be provided as part of the process, farmers can look at different endemics programmes in different flocks, tailoring investigations to priority areas for improvement.  Applying for Pathway is surprisingly easy, although I would advise anyone to read the requirements and to talk to your vet who may be able to help, and once you’re in the annual claims is easier still”