52nd Report - Resilience to threats from animal disease

Select Committee
Public Accounts Committee HC 885 5 November 2025
Report Status Response document linked Recorded deadline: 5 Jan 2026

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Conclusions & Recommendations 32 items (11 recs)
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Government response
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fifth-second report from Session 2024-26 · published 19 Jan 2026
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Recommendations & Conclusions

32 results
2 Recommendation
Produce a veterinary workforce strategy to effectively address APHA's vet vacancies
Recommendation
Not enough is being done to tackle the high level of vet vacancies within APHA, which limits its ability to respond to an outbreak. APHA struggles to recruit and retain sufficient vets. APHA’s vet vacancy rate fluctuates– it was 20% … Read more
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3 Recommendation
Set out a clear plan and milestones for APHA's updated risk-based surveillance processes
Recommendation
APHA’s surveillance activities to detect disease outbreaks early are not sufficiently comprehensive or risk-based. Surveillance work, or ‘eyes and ears on the ground’, is vital to help detect new and re-emerging disease threats quickly and stop their spread. But APHA’s … Read more
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4 Conclusion
Ensure modernisation of APHA's animal disease systems is a key strategic objective with a plan
Conclusion
APHA has not made fast enough progress with modernising its systems and processes, to allow it to better deploy its resources. Many of APHA’s systems and processes are outdated and inefficient. For example, its vets in the field must complete … Read more
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5 Recommendation
Publish a 10-year plan for Weybridge redevelopment, detailing progress, interim risks, and mitigation
Recommendation
The Department has secured vital funding for the National Biosecurity Centre at Weybridge, but must manage significant interim risks until the redevelopment is completed in 10 years. The Weybridge facility is a critical national asset for managing threats from animal … Read more
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6 Conclusion
Ensure progress and devolved alignment of the multi-species livestock tracing system
Conclusion
The Department’s progress delivering a multi-species livestock tracing system has been extremely slow and may not provide an integrated system for the UK. Tracing animal movements quickly—to understand where disease may have spread—is key in responding effectively to contain an … Read more
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7 Recommendation
Strengthen border controls and public education to combat illegal meat imports into the UK
Recommendation
Controls at the border to prevent a new disease arriving in the UK via illegal meat imports are insufficient to the level of risk. Dover Port Health Authority (DPHA) reported a fifty-five-fold increase in the seizures of illegal meat imports … Read more
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8 Conclusion
Develop a long-term strategy for securing adequate animal vaccine supply to the UK
Conclusion
The Department does not have a strategy to tackle shortages in animal vaccines. Vaccines play an important role in preventative health and disease control programmes in animals, including managing antimicrobial resistance. However, there have increasingly been 5 supply shortages of … Read more
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9 Conclusion
Provide an update on developing a comprehensive long-term strategy for animal diseases
Conclusion
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
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1 Conclusion
Evidence taken on resilience to threats from animal diseases
Conclusion
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), we took evidence from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (the Department) and the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) on the resilience to threats … Read more
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10 Conclusion
Government plans two major exercises to test animal disease outbreak preparedness
Conclusion
The government is planning to test its preparedness to respond to outbreaks with two major exercises during 2025. Exercise Pegasus, which is a whole-of-government exercise led by the Department of Health and Social Care alongside the Cabinet Office, will take … Read more
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11 Conclusion
APHA veterinary staff vacancy rates remain high despite a slight recent decrease.
Conclusion
In 2023–24, APHA’s peak vacancy rate for vets was 24% (108 full-time equivalent staff) which had fallen to 20% (99 full-time equivalent staff) in April 2025.13 In correspondence received after the evidence session the Department stated that it has a … Read more
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12 Recommendation
Recruitment and retention of government vets significantly challenged by mental health, pay, and conditions.
Recommendation
APHA explained that difficulties in recruiting and retaining government vets are not unique to APHA or the UK. Key factors include: mental health issues relating to activities such as culling animals; pay and conditions; and working hours. APHA set out … Read more
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13 Recommendation
Outdated Veterinary Surgeons Act requires reform to enable broader professional roles.
Recommendation
The Department set out the work it is looking to do, with support from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, to update the Veterinary Surgeons Act which has not been updated for a long time. Reforming the Act could allow … Read more
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14 Recommendation
Disease outbreaks significantly compromise APHA's routine surveillance activities and performance targets.
Recommendation
Surveillance work, or ‘eyes and ears on the ground’, is vital to help detect new and re-emerging disease threats quickly and stop their spread. The Department’s and APHA’s approach to managing disease outbreaks is through a ‘surge capacity’ resourcing model, … Read more
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15 Conclusion
APHA's surveillance activities are inefficient and not risk-based, requiring multi-year reform.
Conclusion
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
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16 Conclusion
Local authority capacity for routine animal disease surveillance has significantly diminished over time.
Conclusion
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
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17 Conclusion
EU exit reduced timely access to detailed animal disease intelligence for the UK.
Conclusion
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
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18 Recommendation
APHA's outdated paper-based systems and processes cause significant inefficiency and delays.
Recommendation
APHA acknowledged that its systems and processes are outdated and require modernisation. For example, its vets in the field must complete paper-based forms, which are scanned and manually deciphered before being added to a database. APHA also cited the example … Read more
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19 Conclusion
APHA's modernisation programme progressing, but full system digitisation will take many years.
Conclusion
APHA has established its Delivering Sustainable Futures programme as the main programme to modernise its systems and has initially started on smaller projects relating to plant health and bees. Its plant and bee inspectors in the field now have digital … Read more
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20 Recommendation
Critical National Biosecurity Centre at Weybridge is in poor condition, risking UK disease response.
Recommendation
The National Biosecurity Centre at Weybridge is the UK’s primary science laboratory capability for managing threats from animal diseases. It contains 98% of APHA’s high-containment laboratories. The site is in poor condition, with ageing buildings that need major repair and … Read more
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21 Conclusion
Aging Weybridge facilities make guaranteeing operations during 10-year redevelopment increasingly difficult
Conclusion
In 2017, the Department started a programme to redevelop Weybridge. In the 2025 Spending Review, the government committed £1 billion over the period 2025–26 to 2029–30 to continue the redevelopment, with a total estimated cost of £2.8 billion.27 In correspondence … Read more
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22 Recommendation
Current UK animal tracing systems are fragmented, old, and fragile
Recommendation
Livestock movements in England are significant. For example, there are around 20 million movements of sheep to or from different farms, livestock markets, collection centres, and to abattoirs each year. These movements increase the risk of spreading disease. Being able … Read more
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23 Conclusion
Multi-species livestock tracing system programme experienced significant resets due to technical issues
Conclusion
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
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24 Conclusion
Fully integrated multi-species livestock tracing system not expected until winter 2027 with uncertain funding
Conclusion
Between 2019 and March 2025, the Department has spent £181 million on the programme and some services have been developed including a new sheep, goat and deer tracing service.33 However, the Department does not expect to have a fully integrated … Read more
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25 Conclusion
Differing devolved administrations' decisions hinder full integration of UK animal tracing systems
Conclusion
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
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26 Conclusion
Illegal meat imports pose significant disease threat, increasing fifty-five-fold at Dover Port
Conclusion
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
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27 Conclusion
Dover Port Health Authority performs proactive illegal meat checks only 20% of the time
Conclusion
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
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28 Conclusion
Educate travellers on illegal food import risks and implement high fines for breaches
Conclusion
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
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29 Recommendation
Limited animal vaccine availability is a growing global issue due to production capacity
Recommendation
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 … Read more
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30 Conclusion
Veterinary Medicines Directorate published framework to address UK veterinary vaccine availability issues
Conclusion
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
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31 Conclusion
Bovine TB policy changes create efficacy concerns, leaving farmers vulnerable to worsening reactors.
Conclusion
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
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32 Conclusion
Department lacks comprehensive long-term strategy integrating biosecurity capability building work.
Conclusion
The Department said it is undertaking a range of strategic capability building work that will improve long-term resilience, including redeveloping the National Biosecurity Centre at Weybridge, developing a multi-species livestock tracing system, and modernising APHA’s systems and processes. The Department … Read more
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