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Funding to improve poultry vaccines
Chicken
Chicken is the UK's most consumed meat.
Roslin Institute granted over five million pounds

Over five million pounds of funding has been granted to the Roslin Institute to design and improve vaccines for poultry.

Granted by the BBSRC, the £5.7m will be used to develop strategies to reduce infections in farmed animals, control food-borne diseases and minimise antibiotic use in the food chain.

The award is one of three recently funded grants thorough BBSRC's Strategic Longer and larger (sLoLa) scheme, which gives world-leading research teams five years of funding and resources to address major challenges.

Professor Mark Stevens, director of research at The Roslin Institute said: “We are delighted to partner with BBSRC and leading laboratories to tackle important poultry and foodborne diseases. Taken together with BBSRC strategic investment in the National Avian Research Facility here at The Roslin Institute the project will greatly help us to address the global challenge of improving food supply and safety.”

Chicken is the UK's most consumed meat and the most popular animal-based food in the world. However, poultry are key reservoirs of food borne pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobactor and their productivity and welfare are constrained be endemic diseases caused by E.coli and clostridia.

The Roslin Institute say that this project aims to develop and refine vaccine to protect poultry flocks against Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli and Clostridium infection.

The grant will also enable research to develop glycoengineering technology to produce a new generation of inexpensive veterinary vaccines.

The principal investigator of the project Brendan Wren, Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: "Developing effective, inexpensive vaccines for livestock has multiple advantages, not just in protecting animals from disease, but also in reducing infections in humans and antibiotics in the food chain that are often used in rearing livestock. “

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Defra shares new Sanitary and Phytosanitary guidance

News Story 1
 Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.

The agreement, which will change the movement and trade of animals and related products, could see reductions in checks, paperwork and certification. As well as describing regulatory developments, the advice highlights the importance of animal ID, registration and traceability in disease control and other compliance arrangements.

The guidance can be found here. More detail is expected as negotiations progress. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Lords Committee opens Pet Parasite Medication inquiry

The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee will launch its inquiry into Pet Parasite Medication (PPM) on Wednesday (3 June).

Focusing on treatments containing fipronil and imidacloprid, the inquiry will seek to understand distribution pathways and the impacts of PPM use and non-use on biodiversity and human health. It will also cover current regulation, monitoring, and the potential implications for pets and their owners.

The committee will hear evidence from environmental non-governmental organisations and research institutes. The public can follow the proceedings live on Parliament TV or in person in the Palace of Westminster.