Pig producers are being urged to take advantage of the recent expansion of funded vet visits under the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.
Animal Health and Welfare Reviews have recently been opened up, so they can cover multiple herds under the same ownership.
“For example, a pig business with three separate herds can now apply and have visits for all three herds, which was not previously possible,” NPA chief policy adviser Katie Jarvis said.
“Since this expansion was launched, the RPA has seen a 58% increase in the number of applications received and claims made. It was much requested by the pig sector, so while it has been a long time coming, we do urge members to take advantage of it.”
Producers receive £557 for the vet visit, which will include testing for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), an assessment biosecurity measures, and tailored advice to improve the health, welfare and productivity of your animals.
Ms Jarvis added: “You can read more detail about the visits here, but in short you will receive a funded visit with your own vet, where PRRS testing will be carried out (minimum of 30 pigs sampled using 5 oral fluid ropes, and ELISA tested for antibodies) and you will have a discussion with your vet about health and welfare, receiving advice on anywhere you may like to make improvements.”
“This could include antibiotic usage, biosecurity or tail biting, for example. You must then book a follow-up appointment with the vet no more than 10 months after the review, when you will discuss the results of the PRRS testing and any other health and welfare issues.”
An additional £923 is available for a follow-up visit, which will include further PRRS testing.
“The follow-up visit requires blood samples to be taken from 30 pigs, and the testing requirements depend on the combination of test results and whether the herd is vaccinated for PRRS or not. You can read a full explanation of requirements here.
Biocheck Tool
Part of the follow-up visit is a biosecurity assessment, which will be carried out by the vet.
The NPA is also endorsing the use of the Biocheck tool – an advanced biosecurity assessment which enables producers to benchmark their biosecurity performance and contribute to a national biosecurity figure for England.
AHDB has have secured a number of 12-month licences for pig farmers to access it and is urging producers to make the most of this opportunity while it is free.
- For more information on the scheme as a whole, we would urge you to watch the recent Defra webinar here.