Animal welfare is increasingly important in the trade of animal produce, not least because it can provide an advantage in terms of access to markets. Meeting good standards of animal welfare ‘from farm to fork’ can form part of a strategy to add value to animal-based food products and provide a stable source of income for both large and small-scale producers.

The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway was released by Defra in 2022, the aims being to improve the health and welfare of English farmed animals by controlling and eventually eliminating endemic diseases.

From 2022 the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) aims to provide capital grants and financially support vet visits for health and welfare management. The RPA is also piloting payments-by-results in 2023, which will aim to reward farmers for improvements in animal welfare and husbandry.

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