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NOAH welcomes commitment to animal health and welfare in Queen’s Speech
"Our priority is a vibrant and innovative UK animal health sector." - Dawn Howard, NOAH chief executive.

Importance of welfare outlined in new government plans

NOAH has released a statement, welcoming the commitment to parliamentary time to amend the Veterinary Medicines Regulations, as mentioned in the Queen’s Speech.

Dawn Howard, chief executive of NOAH said: “EU exit means that a robust, sensible and proportionate UK regulatory system, firmly based on internationally recognised science and technical expertise, is more important than ever.

“We have emphasised that parliamentary time will be needed to review the veterinary medicines legislation and help ensure opportunities that EU exit may present come to fruition, and are pleased to see this has been specifically included within the Medical and Medical Devices Bill.”

The association also expressed its approval of the emphasis on animal welfare in the new government’s plans within the Agriculture and Environment Bills.

NOAH’s Vision Paper for Animal Health and Welfare outlines the association’s goals regarding further development of agriculture policy in the UK. Focusing primarily on animal health and identifying the necessary processes required to improve the health and welfare of UK livestock.

Mrs Howard added: “Taking an animal health perspective will help deliver the benefits in terms of welfare that the bill aims to achieve, as well as supporting productivity, sustainability and resilience of farms – all helping to prepare for changes in trading outside the EU.

“Our paper sets out a holistic approach – as we believe no single action is going to deliver proper forward momentum. We look forward to working with the new Government to ensure our shared vision comes to fruition.”

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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.