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

7 results

9 Conclusion Acknowledged

52nd Report - Resilience to threat…

Provide an update on developing a comprehensive long-term strategy for animal diseases

The Department does not have an overarching long-term strategy for strengthening resilience to the increasing risk from animal diseases. The Department has several strategic programmes underway to strengthen resilience to animal diseases, including the redevelopment of the National Biosecurity Centre … Read more

Government Response

The government agrees to the recommendation, stating it will examine strategic themes to strengthen long-term resilience to animal disease and integrate interdependencies from other related strategies and reforms. It implicitly commits to providing an update on this strategy's development in 18 months.

HM Treasury

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15 Conclusion Acknowledged

52nd Report - Resilience to threat…

APHA's surveillance activities are inefficient and not risk-based, requiring multi-year reform.

APHA pointed out that its current surveillance activities are not risk-based or efficient, which results in APHA returning to a location on a regular basis even though it finds no issues. APHA is starting work to move to a more … Read more

Government Response

APHA's surveillance activities are undertaken in accordance with a defined process, with initiatives underway to deliver risk-based and efficient surveillance activities, and APHA will have a clear plan with milestones within six months to track delivery of audit recommendations. By February 2027, APHA will review all surveillance activities to ensure a targeted, risk-based approach.

HM Treasury

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16 Conclusion

52nd Report - Resilience to threat…

Local authority capacity for routine animal disease surveillance has significantly diminished over time.

The Department set out concerns it has about the capacity of local authority trading standards officers to undertake routine surveillance activities. While local authorities have stepped up to provide extra resources during recent outbreaks, capacity to undertake business-as-usual activities such … Read more

HM Treasury

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17 Conclusion

52nd Report - Resilience to threat…

EU exit reduced timely access to detailed animal disease intelligence for the UK.

The Department explained that following EU exit, the UK lost access to the EU’s Animal Diseases Information System which provided almost real-time intelligence on EU animal diseases. While the UK has access to an international intelligence system provided by the … Read more

HM Treasury

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23 Conclusion Acknowledged

52nd Report - Resilience to threat…

Multi-species livestock tracing system programme experienced significant resets due to technical issues

The Department first started work to create a digital, multi-species, UK-wide tracing system in 2013 and acknowledged that it has been working on this for a long time. It explained that the original concept of using an off- the-shelf solution … Read more

Government Response

The government will introduce changes to cattle identification, registration and reporting from summer 2026, including mandatory Electronic Identification (EID) for all new-born calves from 2027 and a new cattle movement reporting system. Expansion to cover additional species is planned from 2027 onwards.

HM Treasury

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25 Conclusion Acknowledged

52nd Report - Resilience to threat…

Differing devolved administrations' decisions hinder full integration of UK animal tracing systems

Animal diseases do not respect national borders, but the Department confirmed that implementing animal tracing systems is a devolved matter. The Department explained that its livestock tracing programme director meets regularly with the devolved administrations. However, it also highlighted that … Read more

Government Response

HM Treasury

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31 Conclusion

52nd Report - Resilience to threat…

Bovine TB policy changes create efficacy concerns, leaving farmers vulnerable to worsening reactors.

We are concerned about the future efficacy of policy changes for managing Bovine TB. The badger cull, which we understand seems to have been effective in reducing Bovine TB, has been largely terminated.47 Yet, a new cattle vaccine seems to … Read more

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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