Responding to today’s report from the Environmental Audit Committee on Flooding Cooperation across Government, Laura Hughes, property policy adviser at the Association of British Insurers (ABI), said:

Co-Chair of Environmentalists for Europe, former Conservative MEP Stanley Johnson reflects on the Prime Minister’s speech last week which stated: ‘Our natural environment will be safer if we stay in a reformed EU’.

Farmers have expressed concern about the unknown implications of Britain leaving the European Union, according to a new survey by experts at the University of Exeter.

Following Defra’s recent consultation on animal licensing establishments, which specifically questioned what measures could address concerns around the care of exotic animals, leading vets will be discussing the issue of legislation versus self-regulation around exotic pet ownership at the annual Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) Discussion Forum at One Great George Street, London, on 6 June.

10 years on from the introduction of the Animal Welfare Acts 2006 (England and Wales, Scotland) and following the Efra Committee Inquiry on animal welfare, leading vets are coming together to discuss the progress and pit falls of the Acts’ first decade at the annual Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) Discussion Forum at One Great George Street, London, on 6 June.

The roll out of a new list of post-mortem rejection conditions has begun in sheep and cattle abattoirs in England.

The 2016/2017 Recommended Grass and Clover Lists (RGCL) have been updated with five new ryegrass varieties.     

As National BBQ Week begins, discerning UK vets urge consumers to vote for good animal health and welfare by checking food labels before they buy.

The AHDB and DEFRA-funded Beef Feed Efficiency programme has reached a significant milestone by contracting two commercial farms to record feed efficiency traits.

Heavier beef carcases targeted at delivering the highest lean meat yield to score premiums for producers may end up incurring additional penalties if processors reduce their maximum weight limits, a study suggests.

As this year’s extended Volunteers’ Week (1 – 12 June) kicks off, the British Veterinary Association is shining a spotlight on the majority of veterinary surgeons in the UK - more than 4 in 5 (84%) -  who give their time and veterinary expertise at a reduced rate, while more than 2 in 5 work unpaid with animal charities and rehoming centres to treat thousands of abandoned, mistreated or injured animals each year.

More than two-thirds of vets (71%) actively check labels and ask questions about the meat, fish and dairy products they purchase, according to figures revealed by the British Veterinary Association (BVA) to mark National BBQ Week (30 May – 5 June). 

As a select committee of MPs considers what should be done about the pet trade, Blue Cross is urging a pragmatic solution that will really work.

NOAH (National Office of Animal Health) has announced that it is excited to be supporting farming charity, R.A.B.I (Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution) during this, its 30th anniversary year.

Fresh economic analysis shows independent butchers have been quick to shift with consumer habits, employing swathes of the UK workforce and generating £2.3bn in revenue.

The Woodland Trust and National Trust are celebrating the award of £730,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to enhance their restoration of Fingle Woods in the Teign Valley.

Simon Harrison, Chair of the IET Energy Policy Panel, said:

Independent butchers contributed £555 million to the economy and a significant contribution to employment in food and drink retail, according to a new AHDB Beef & Lamb report.

The global Review on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), commissioned by the UK government and chaired by Lord O’Neill, has published its final report calling for incentives to develop antibiotics, improved diagnostics and vaccines, and country-specific targets for the reduction of antimicrobial use in livestock.

Today’s publication of ‘Tackling Drug Resistant Infections Globally: Final Report and Recommendations’, by Lord Jim O’Neill, is a global landmark in the fight to keep antibiotics effective for both animals and people, says NOAH, which represents the UK animal medicines sector.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England offers its analysis of the Queen’s Speech, noting positive signs on neighbourhood planning, but concerns about planning conditions.

The growing domestic market for Halal sheep meat presents a significant opportunity for the industry, according to AHDB Beef & Lamb. 

In response to the announcement from the Scottish Rural College (SRUC) that confirms a post-mortem laboratory will be retained at Inverness, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) issued a statement welcoming the retention of this facility.

AHDB Beef & Lamb has commissioned an innovative three-year project investigating the health, welfare and performance of beef cattle on larger finishing units in England.