Next steps for animal and plant health in the UK

It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to consider priorities for prevention, surveillance, and response to animal and plant disease outbreaks amidst the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s ongoing Biosecurity and animal welfare inquiry, and following the recent publication of the UK’s International Action Plan for Plant Health 2026 to 2030, as well as the Animal Welfare Strategy for England published in 2025.

Key considerations for maintaining welfare and biosecurity standards while supporting resilience, productivity, and viability across the food system will be discussed, with a focus on practical delivery, technological developments, and requirements for trade and regulation.

Welfare delivery, biosecurity & veterinary capacity

The conference will examine practical challenges in adopting higher welfare practices at scale, including funding, timelines, and transitional arrangements, as well as assessing biosecurity and border controls on farms in preventing disease outbreaks, and strategies to mitigate risks from illegal imports of meat and plant products.

Strategic options for strengthening the veterinary workforce and inspection services will be discussed, including priorities for reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 following publication of the Government's veterinary reform white paper in July 2026, and what the outcomes of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway: Mandatory Proposals consultation might mean for future partnerships between farmers and vets.

Technology, data & precision breeding

Sessions will look at how technological and scientific innovations can support higher welfare outcomes, competitiveness, and resilience in farming systems, including the role of digital surveillance, data and decision-support tools in managing animal and plant health risks.

Discussion will also assess the role of gene-editing for animal and plant resilience and disease prevention, including how the UK’s evolving regulatory relationship with the EU could affect approval processes and create opportunities for farmers, researchers and innovators, as well as how to tackle potential uncertainties. The role of information, transparency, and consumer awareness in guiding decisions and supporting measurable improvements in animal and plant health will also be considered.

International trade policy

Further discussion will explore the interaction between trade policy, import controls, and domestic welfare objectives, including implications for UK producers competing with imports produced to lower standards. Sessions will examine priorities to support domestic production and biosecurity, such as the potential alignment with EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement rules and enforcement approaches.

Illegal imports and border inspection limitations - as identified in the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee inquiry into biosecurity and animal welfare - will also be discussed, as well as the role of labelling and consumer transparency in promoting welfare improvements and supporting the sustainability of improved welfare practices.

Overview of areas for discussion

• animal welfare strategy delivery, transition and farm viability:
• implementation of the Animal Welfare Strategy for England - sequencing, responsibilities, measures of progress and practical delivery across farming systems
• adoption of higher welfare practices - costs, timelines, infrastructure and support requirements - implications for productivity and competitiveness
• disease prevention, surveillance and plant health resilience:
• strengthening prevention, early detection and response - farm biosecurity, monitoring, data-sharing and coordination across government, industry and veterinary services
• UK International Action Plan for Plant Health 2026 to 2030 - surveillance capacity, international cooperation, pest and disease risks and agricultural resilience
• veterinary capacity, inspection and regulatory reform:
• workforce and inspection capacity - maintaining effective veterinary services and supporting animal health, welfare and biosecurity
• reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 and Animal Health and Welfare Pathway - future regulation, delivery and the farmer-vet partnership
• biosecurity, borders and the UK-EU SPS agreement:
• managing risks from trade and movement - illegal imports, border inspection capacity, enforcement and protection of domestic production
• the developing UK-EU SPS agreement - regulatory alignment and transitional arrangements - implications for animal and plant health controls and agrifood trade
• technology, data and precision breeding:
• digital surveillance and decision-support - interoperability, information-sharing and use of data by farmers, veterinary services and regulators
• precision breeding for disease resistance and resilience - regulatory pathways, approval processes and implications of alignment and divergence
• trade, standards and consumer confidence:
• interaction between domestic welfare standards and international markets - import requirements, producer competitiveness and the sustainability of higher welfare production
• traceability, labelling and consumer information - demonstrating welfare and health outcomes and supporting informed choices across the food system