Vaccines play an important role in preventative health and disease control programmes in animals, reducing disease incidence, and maintaining health and welfare. They also reduce the need for antibiotics, helping 36 C&AG’s report, para 4.13 37 Q 51 38 C&AG’s report, para 4.13 39 Q 51 40 C&AG’s report, para 4.13 41 Q 54 42 Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Biosecurity at the border: Britain’s illegal meat crisis, HC 1296, 8 September 2025 15 combat antimicrobial resistance in animals. Limited availability of animal vaccines is a growing global issue which has become more acute in the last two years. Long-term issues include: production capacity at UK and EU sites; production capacity being diverted to human health; increased demand; and the challenging economics of vaccine manufacture.43 We received a number of written submissions which highlighted the importance of vaccines as part of improving resilience to animal diseases and raised concerns over supply shortages and the lack of a coordinated vaccine strategy.44