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Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Great Britain
Ministerial Foreword
This Strategy has been developed for the island of Great Britain to recognise the land borders shared by England with Scotland and Wales and I am delighted that Ross and Carwyn are joining me in endorsing this work. We all have experiences to bring and to learn from in managing the challenges of animal health and welfare. The Implementation Plans for England, Scotland and Wales will allow us to demonstrate how we are taking forward the principles of the strategy, which we have developed together, in meeting the separate needs of each country.
This strategy sits alongside our Strategy for Sustainable Food and Farming and provides a route map for regaining public and consumer confidence in the food we produce and the restoration of our international reputation for the highest standards of animal health and welfare. Clearly the message of the Policy Commission report that we need to reconnect consumers with food production is particularly relevant in animal health and welfare. The philosophy that disease 'prevention is better than cure' is fundamental to developing a sustainable food and farming industry. Too much of what we have done recently has been reactive and not proactive and there are real challenges ahead that we must be prepared to meet, in particular CAP reform and the new Food Hygiene regulations. Raising our game domestically can pay real dividends in minimising risk. In England there are real opportunities for the strategy to work through the network of regional interests and with local commitment.
When the Government accepted the recommendations from the Policy Commission and FMD inquiries for a more strategic approach to animal health planning, we recognised that the new approach had to be built from the bottom up. To be successful, all interested parties had to have an integral role in shaping the strategy and a sense that they had a real stake in the outcome. We have taken considerable care to build the strategy on this basis and I am particularly encouraged by the strong stakeholder consensus that has been maintained throughout this process.
We can only take the strategy forward on a partnership basis. All those with an interest in animal health and welfare have their role to play and responsibilities to fulfil. Collectively we need to take full account of the bigger picture when considering animal health and welfare issues. The way that animals are raised, their health and welfare, and the solutions that we introduce to manage disease and welfare risks can have serious implications for the rural economy, the environment and society as a whole. There are real benefits that can be achieved by improving the health and welfare of our animals; we need to work together to ensure that these benefits are achieved and that the associated costs are appropriately balanced.
Although Government has in the past focused on the health and welfare of farmed livestock, this strategy also puts the well-being of other animals and the linkages to wildlife firmly on the agenda. Our commitment is to work with all those with an interest in animal health and welfare to ensure that this strategy remains a vital and relevant driving force for change.
Margaret Beckett
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