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Scotland to have own food standards body
New body to be set up for Scotland

The Scottish Government has decided to establish a new body to oversee food safety, food standards, nutrition, food labelling and meat inspection in Scotland.

The decision was made following a recommendation by Jim Scudamore, a former UK Chief Veterinary Officer, who reviewed the feasibility of establishing such a body by the Scottish Government.

In light of the UK Government having decided to move responsibility for nutrition and food labelling in England from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to the Department of Health and Defra, Professor Scudamore recommended a new, stand-alone public body to deal with food standards, as it would "offer the best outcome for Scotland's long term interests."

Michael Matheson, public health minister in the Scottish Government, said: "A new body will allow a Scottish approach to be taken to tackle poor diet and foodborne diseases and should support our food and drink industry in growing its strong, international reputation for safe, quality food."

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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. 

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News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.