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Veterinary disease centre receives funding boost
"The St Boswells centre is an important part of the national disease surveillance programme."

Scotland’s Rural College invests £500k in St Boswells to upgrade facilities

A veterinary disease surveillance centre in the Scottish Borders has received £500,000 from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) to improve its facilities and promote animal health.

The money will be used to support the refurbishment of St Boswells and extend the life of the building. Among the planned works include a revamp of the interior and exterior and an upgrade to the laboratory facilities.

“The St Boswells centre is an important part of the national disease surveillance programme helping to improve animal health and support farm production,” explained George Caldow, head of SRUC Veterinary Services.

“The refurbishment of St Boswells will help secure this service for many years to come and provide a focal point for farm animal health across the region.”

Based at Greycook in St Boswells, SRUC Veterinary Services provides animal health diagnostics for livestock across the Borders, Midlothian and East Lothian and further afield as required.

Other planned works include an upgrade to the post-mortem room with a new hydraulic table and a new cradle design to improve efficiency and safety when examining adult cattle post mortem.
The room will remain closed while the work is in progress, and vets will provide an alternative post-mortem service from an alternative location nearby. 

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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.