Defra has confirmed it will fund a yearly vet visit for eligible farms through the Annual Health and Welfare review.
The free vet-led annual health and welfare reviews is intended to help ‘better understand the health and welfare of the national herd and flock and help to target future support in the right way’.
It will be funded under Sustainable Farming Incentive from 2022, as part of the new domestic agricultural policy for England.
The vet visits were unveiled as part of a wider announcement on the Agriculture Transition in England by Defra Secretary George Eustice.
When the scheme starts in 2022, the Annual Health and Welfare Review will initially be available for all commercial cattle, pig and sheep keepers who are eligible for BPS.
As a first step on the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, Defra will fund a yearly visit from a vet or vet-led team, Mr Eustice confirmed.
The intention is that this is a time limited offer for three years - the effectiveness of the Annual Health and Welfare Review will be reviewed and the need for further regulation will be consulted on.
Defra said the aim of the review was to help reduce endemic diseases and conditions within livestock, promote responsible use of veterinary medicines and improve welfare and increase farm productivity.
It will include diagnostic testing for priority diseases or conditions, and bespoke advice on health, welfare, biosecurity and the responsible use of medicines.
As part of the review, farmers and vets will share data which will be used to better understand the health and welfare of the national herd and flock, and not for inspections.
Defra said: "The farmer and their chosen vet will agree a series of recommended actions after a detailed conversation about the farm, its practices and any known health and welfare concerns or opportunities.
“Where a health and welfare plan exists for a farm, this will be the initial place to start conversations between the farmer and their vet, with the review building upon those areas covered in the existing health and welfare plan.
"The review will recommend actions to improve livestock health and welfare, agreed between the farmer and the vet, that will be a way of measuring yearly progress.
“It will also signpost more support available to the farm for making these improvements, including the upcoming grants to improve livestock health and welfare."
Testing will initially focus on identifying priority endemic diseases or conditions, in cattle, pigs, and sheep.
"These testing priorities have been co-designed with industry, to ensure we are focusing on health issues that matter to farmers, as well as delivering benefits for the public," Defra said.
