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Campaign aims to boost farm animal welfare
Farm Animal Week encourages higher welfare products

A campaign run by the RSPCA's Freedom Food scheme this week (July 15-21) is attempting to improve public knowledge of farm animal welfare.

As part of Farm Animal Week, people are being encouraged to find out more about how farm animals are reared, and to choose higher welfare products.

In honour of the campaign, shoppers are urged to swap one item in their shopping baskets for a higher welfare product, and Sainsbury's will be donating 5p to the RSPCA each time selected Freedom Food products are purchased.

To mark Farm Animal Week, Freedom Food also carried out a survey to find out how much people know about the welfare of farm animals.

The survey is reported to have revealed some strange results. For example, when given a list of delicacies, which included two spoof options, one in ten people who take part claimed to have eaten "chicken trotters", and 8 per cent said they had tasted "pig's wings".

Freedom Foods have called the results "worrying" and say it is time people reconnected with where their food comes from and the lives of the animals that produce it.

David Squair, chief executive of Freedom Foods, said: "If more people choose higher welfare labels like Freedom Food, more farmers will be encouraged to adopt higher welfare standards and more farm animals will have a better life."

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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
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.