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Sheep industry launches welfare strategy
The strategy will focus on elements of sheep welfare including lameness and pain management.
Five-year plan aims to improve sheep welfare.

The industry body Ruminant Health and Welfare (RH&W) has launched the first ever UK Sheep Welfare Strategy.

The initiative, which will run until 2028, aims to help the sheep sector improve animal welfare and demonstrate evidence-based progress.

The strategy includes six strategic goals:
  • Healthy feet – reducing lameness
  • Appropriate body condition – ensuring optimal body condition scores
  • Thriving lambs – providing good nutrition and protecting against disease
  • Collaborative flock management – active collaboration between farmers, veterinary surgeons and advisers
  • Positive welfare – focusing on welfare when making all management decisions
  • Sheep comfort – making sure every farm has a proactive pain management plan.

More than 95 businesses and organisations have signed up to the strategy.

National Sheep Association chief executive and RH&W steering group member Phil Stocker said: “This strategy will provide great ammunition to drive forward the sector across a wide range of welfare improvements over the next five years including the licensing of analgesics, influencing Government support programmes, and conditions in transport and at slaughter.

“The strategy contains a five-step plan for delivery, which includes a commitment for routine meetings with a working group representing all stakeholders so we can agree an action plan for each of the six goals.

“It will be challenging, but through RH&W we are determined to find ways to demonstrate and evidence the progress by producing an annual progress report for transparency.”

A similar strategy for dairy cattle was launched by RH&W earlier this year and there are plans to launch one for beef cattle.

Image ©
RH&W

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BEVA gives RVNs right to vote

News Story 1
 The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) is to allow its registered veterinary nurse (RVN) members the right to vote.

RVN members will now be able to take part in key decision-making processes and stand for BEVA council.

Marie Rippingale, chair of BEVA's Nurse Committee, said: "I am very proud to be a part of BEVA.

"This change will help to empower nurses to speak up and contribute, but more importantly, it will give them an opportunity to collaborate with other members of the equine veterinary profession to bring about change that is positive for all." 

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News Shorts
Farmer survey to reveal on-farm impact of bluetongue

A nationwide survey has been launched to better understand how the bluetongue virus is affecting UK farms.

Results will inform the support that farmers receive for bluetongue, as well as preparing the livestock industry for the future.

The short online survey is open to all livestock farmers, regardless of whether they've had a confirmed case of bluetongue on their farm. It asks how many animals have been affected, the severity of their clinical signs and how it has impacted farm business.

The survey takes five minutes to complete and is fully anonymous.

It is led by Fiona Lovatt, of Flock Health Limited, and the Ruminant Health & Welfare bluetongue working group, in collaboration with AHDB and the University of Nottingham.

Dr Lovatt says: "We need to find out what level of clinical signs farmers are seeing in their animals, whether they are experiencing mortality with BTV-3 cases, and what their appetite is to vaccinate in future for bluetongue serotype 3."

The survey can be found here.