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Battersea chief executive awarded CBE
Claire Horton has increased Battersea's profile and led it to become a top 10 charity brand.

Head of charity rewarded for contribution to animal welfare

The chief executive of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home Claire Horton has been named as a recipient of a CBE in the 2020 New Year Honours List, in recognition of her contribution to animal welfare.

After joining Battersea as chief executive in 2010, Mrs Horton has ensured year on year growth for the charity. Increasing its profile and capabilities as well as leading it to become a top 10 charity brand.

With more than 30 years of experience leading national and regional charities, Mrs Horton is committed to boosting the impact of the organisation and improving services for beneficiaries. She is passionate about the importance of volunteers, and has increased volunteer numbers at Battersea by 200 per cent. She also regularly advises Ministers, MPs, MEPs and civil servants on all issues related to companion animal welfare and health.

Mrs Horton also chairs the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes, the umbrella body for rescue and rehoming organisations in the British Isles and is a member of Defra’s Animal Health and Welfare Board for England.

Battersea chairman, Amanda Burton commented: “Claire is committed to working in partnership across multiple sectors and promoting collaboration between organisations and teams.

“Under her leadership, Battersea has driven campaigns that have successfully changed legislation and have improved the lives of thousands of dogs and cats.

“Battersea is now an organisation known world-wide for its expertise, its knowledge and highly skilled practitioners, across both animal and support services. Claire has worked to engage directly with rescue and rehoming centres around the world to share best practice and build strong and lasting relationships.

“Battersea has undoubtedly undergone transformational change under her leadership, but importantly, Claire never loses sight of Battersea’s founding mission to help every dog or cat in need and continues to heavily invest in both our people and our animals.”

Image (c) Battersea

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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.