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PED to become notifiable in England
pig vet
If a case of PED is suspected, vets and pig keepers will be obligated to notify the APHA.
New rules come into force this week
 
Porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED) is set become a notifiable disease this week. From Friday 18 December, vets and pig keepers will be legally required to inform the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) of any suspected cases.

The aim is to better prepare the pig industry for an outbreak of the disease should it arrive on our shores.

PED is a significant threat to British pig keepers and has already had devastating consequences in the US - causing up to 100 per cent mortality in piglets and knocking out around 10 per cent of pig production in 2013-14.

Since then, the disease has also spread to the Ukraine.

From Friday, it will be classed as 'lightweight notifiable' in England. There will be no statutory movement controls, no compulsory slaughter and no blocks on exports. Scotland is currently consulting on the introduction of similar legislation.

If a case of PED is suspected, vets and pig keepers will be obligated to notify the APHA.

The government will then inform the 'appropriate organisation' (AHDB Pork), who will provide the affected pig unit with biosecurity advice and carry out tracing and alerting at-risk contacts.

The aim will be to eliminate the disease from the unit and prevent further spread.

Meryl Ward, chairman of AHDB Pork, the organisation for pig levy payers in England, said: "This initiative is a significant step change in partnership working between industry, Defra and the APHA to build England’s resilience to disease.

"PED is a potentially serious disease and emerging threat to our English pig industry. A unique industry led collaboration with Government led to the development of the PEDv Contingency plan to ‘identify, contain and eliminate’.

"The regulatory change to notifiable status is a critical part of the plan and will assist in early identification of affected premises, allowing more time to take effective actions to minimise the impact on the industry and therefore increasing the opportunity to eliminate the disease."

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS members invited to question Council candidates

RCVS members have been invited to submit questions to candidates for this year's RCVS Council election.

With 15 candidates standing for three available positions, vets have been invited to submit a question of their choosing before voting starts. These questions will be collated, with each candidate answering one question of their choice.

It is recommended that members read the candidates' biographies and statements before submitting questions. One question per member can be submitted to vetvote26@rcvs.org.uk before Wednesday, 25 February 2026.

The RCVS Council election is due to start in March.

With only two candidates for two positions on the VN Council, there will be no VN Council elections this year. Meghan Conroy RVN and Lauren Hargrave RVN will begin their three year terms at RCVS' AGM in July.