345: Pork: The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway - what pig producers need to know.

In England, the government is rolling out Direct Payments and phasing in new policies under the Agricultural Transition Plan. One of these is the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway (The Pathway), which launched the first of four steps in Spring 2022 to provide farmers in England with a fully funded vet visit. The Pathway will push forward and support the gradual and continual improvement in farm animal health and welfare.

According to Defra, The Pathway is a partnership between the government, farmers, vets, the wider industry, and the supply chain. In this pork-focused edition of AHDB’s Food and Farming podcast, we investigate this partnership. 

Our guests Stewart Houston CBE, co-designer of The Pathway; Mandy Nevel, Veterinary surgeon and Head of Animal Health and Welfare, AHDB; and Lauren Dimmack, Senior Animal Health & Welfare Scientist, AHDB discuss with our host, John Bates, what led to the development of The Pathway, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and how pig producers can get involved.

Useful links

Animal Health and Welfare Pathway - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Introducing the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway - Future Farming (blog.gov.uk)

Feedback

We'd love to know what you think of our podcasts. If you'd like to give your feedback, please complete our short questionnaire, which will help us to improve the podcast on an ongoing basis, or email: foodandfarming@ahdb.org.uk. 

This episode was produced and edited by Dami Oyinlola, Marcomms Executive (Pork).