Animal Health and Welfare Pathway: Mandatory Proposals

Overview

Our vision for the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway  

We are consulting on proposals designed to introduce a new phase in the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, facilitating collaboration between farmers and vets to enhance livestock health, welfare and biosecurity. Many farmers are already taking positive measures across these areas during the voluntary funded phase, and they are realising the benefits.  From the conception of the Pathway, we have talked about transition from a voluntary funded system to a mandatory one, which will protect the investments made in the voluntary phase and ensure that farms are working to the same minimum standards, such as an annual vet visit. Proposals have been designed to give farmers and vets the flexibility to take steps that are tailored for each individual farm, maximising the benefits of healthier, higher-welfare, and more productive animals at both a local and national level. 

Implications of EU Reset  

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on May 19 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, by way of an EU-UK Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (SPS Agreement) which should ensure the application of the same rules in the EU and Great Britain through the application of the EU’s sanitary rules in Great Britain. This means that the EU’s Animal Health Regulation (EU) 2016/429 (Animal Health Law) would be applicable in Great Britain and farmers in England (as well as in Wales and Scotland) would be required to comply with the rules in the Animal Health Law.  

The proposals in this consultation have been designed to sit alongside the proposed SPS Agreement and assume that the Animal Health Law would be applicable in Great Britain by virtue of the proposed SPS agreement.   

The vet visit under the Animal Health Law will require vet advice and discussion in the following areas: 

• Animal health 

• Biosecurity 

• Disease incursions 

The regularity of the visit under the Animal Health Law will be determined once the law is implemented.   

Purpose of this consultation 

This consultation is about the measures we are seeking to introduce which are beyond the requirements set out in Article 25 of the Animal Health Law. This includes requirements for some farmers to also review animal health, welfare, create flock health plans for sheep and participate in disease control and eradication programmes for pigs and cattle. The proposals to introduce a flock health plan for sheep and eradication programmes for pigs and cattle fall outside the scope of the Animal Health Law.   

These proposals build on the progress made by the existing, voluntary and funded service which is part of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. 

This is an England only consultation. The specific requirements proposed in this consultation will have effect only in England. These rules do not affect farmers whose registered base is outside England. 

Audience 

Anyone may respond to the consultation. Those who may have a particular interest include: 

• farming organisations and trade bodies 

• cattle, sheep and pig farmers 

• the veterinary profession 

• farm assurance schemes 

• academic institutions  

• animal welfare organisations  

• public sector regulators and enforcers  

• processing plants 

• livestock transporters 

• livestock markets  

• deadstock disposal businesses 

How to respond 

Please respond to this consultation using the Defra Citizen Space Consultation hub.  

If you are unable to use Citizen Space, you can download the consultation documents and return your response via email to AHWP-Mandatory@defra.gov.uk or via post to: Universal Participation Team, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Seacole Building 2nd Floor, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF. 

The consultation will run for 12 weeks. The consultation opens on 24th February 2026 and closes at 23:59 on 18th May 2026. Any responses received after this date will not be analysed.   

Other information   

This consultation is being conducted in line with the Cabinet Office “Consultation Principles”