UK Inquiry Tracker

Resilience to threats from animal disease

Public Accounts Committee Open Inquiry

Opened: 6 May 2025 Parliament page

The National Risk Register outlines the most serious risks facing the UK. In 2023, four animal diseases were included, outlining the likelihood and impact of these diseases on the UK. With factors such as climate change and the rise in anti-microbial resistance likely increasing animal disease risks, the threats these … Read more The National Risk Register outlines the most serious risks facing the UK. In 2023, four animal diseases were included, outlining the likelihood and impact of these diseases on the UK. With factors such as climate change and the rise in anti-microbial resistance likely increasing animal disease risks, the threats these diseases pose to the economy and trade, the food chain and England’s farming sector may grow. In 2022 , the Public Accounts Committee warned that the Government was not sufficiently prioritising the “significant threat to UK health, trade, farming and rural communities” posed by animal diseases. The Committee was also concerned that the main animal disease facility, located in Weybridge, had been left to deteriorate to an alarming extent, due to a combination of historic poor management and under-investment. The Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is responsible for ensuring the UK’s resilience to animal diseases. The Animal and Plant Health Agency has the lead operational role. A recent investigation by the National Audit Office (NAO) examined whether Defra, working with key public and private bodies, was taking effective action to ensure this resilience. The NAO’s investigation will be used to inform the Committee’s work in this area, as they question senior officials from Defra and representatives from other relevant bodies on topics including: Defra’s ability to establish and manage the structures, systems and governance processes needed to ensure England’s resilience to animal diseases; Questioning if enough is being done to understand and protect against the threat of animal diseases in England and; Asking if England is prepared to respond to animal disease outbreaks and if it could effectively recover. This inquiry scrutinises policy as related to England, as responsibility for policy in this area in other UK nations is devolved. If you have evidence on these issues please submit it here by 23:59 on Monday 7 July 2025. Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot assist with individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues . Show less

11 Recommendations

21 Conclusions

1 Report

1 Oral session

1 Letter

2 Events

Activity timeline 6 events

19 Jan
2026

Report published

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fifth-second report from Session 2024-26

5 Nov
2025

Report published

52nd Report - Resilience to threats from animal disease

16 Oct
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs relating to the oral evidence session of 04 S…

4 Sep
2025

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

4 Sep
2025

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Committee event

21 Jul
2025

Formal meeting (private meeting) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

Committee event

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

4 Sep 2025

View on parliament.uk

David Hill · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Dr Richard Lewis · National Police Chiefs’ Council and Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys Police Emily Miles · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Professor Christine Middlemiss CB · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
52nd Report - Resilience to threats from animal disease	HC 885	5 Nov 2025	32	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 results

26 Conclusion Accepted in Part

52nd Report - Resilience to threat…

Illegal meat imports pose significant disease threat, increasing fifty-five-fold at Dover Port

Illegally imported meat and animal products, which have not gone through checks to confirm they are disease-free and conform to UK health standards, pose a significant and growing threat for introducing new animal diseases, such as African swine fever. Dover … Read more

Government Response

The government has a plan to address illegal imports outlined in its response to the EFRA Committee, has stepped up communications to travellers, is focusing on its relationship with Dover Port Health Authority, and is actively considering increases to funding for Dover Port Health Authority. APHA will publish details of a new methodology to improve estimates of illegal meat imports in early 2026 with data analysis to follow at the end of 2026.

HM Treasury

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27 Conclusion Accepted in Part

52nd Report - Resilience to threat…

Dover Port Health Authority performs proactive illegal meat checks only 20% of the time

Port Health Authorities and Border Force are responsible for seizing illegal meat and animal product imports at ports.38 The Department praised DPHA and Border Force for their work at Dover and confirmed that it has provided £9 million of funding … Read more

Government Response

HM Treasury

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28 Conclusion Accepted in Part

52nd Report - Resilience to threat…

Educate travellers on illegal food import risks and implement high fines for breaches

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s recent report on illegal meat imports also raised serious concerns about the threat from illegally imported meat. It highlighted that the authorities tasked with tackling illegal meat imports do not have the necessary … Read more

Government Response

HM Treasury

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30 Conclusion Accepted in Part

52nd Report - Resilience to threat…

Veterinary Medicines Directorate published framework to address UK veterinary vaccine availability issues

In September 2025, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate published a Statement of Intent on UK Veterinary Vaccine Availability. This sets out a framework for future cross-sector action to address the mismatch between supply and demand for existing veterinary vaccines and facilitate … Read more

Government Response

VMD's Statement of Intent outlines a strategic framework for cross-sector action. A five-year multi-stakeholder Action Plan will be published late 2026, and mitigations for urgent availability issues are being identified and actioned. Defra worked with manufacturers to expedite emergency use of a Bluetongue 3 vaccine and is supporting the avian influenza vaccine taskforce.

HM Treasury

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Government Response AI assessment · 29 of 11 classified

Accepted 20

Accepted in Part 4

Acknowledged 4

Deferred 1

Total 11 recs + 21 conclusions

Correspondence 1 letter

16 Oct 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs relating to the oral evidence session of 04 September 2025 on resilience to threats from animal disease, 18 September 2025

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