Cattle: Animal Welfare
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of eligible cattle holdings that will access support through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway by 2027.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Animal health and welfare is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
Cattle farm businesses are currently able to claim funding for the Animal Health and Welfare Review (AHWR) and Endemic Disease Follow-up if they have more than 10 cattle. Defra’s analysis of AHWR uptake published on 20 February 2025 estimated that there are 30025 eligible cattle holdings and an uptake rate of 8.9%. Uptake is expected to increase as planned iterations to the scheme are implemented. We are reforecasting estimated uptake rates based on these changes. We encourage all eligible holdings to join the schemes to take advantage of the support on offer.
The February 2025 analysis of uptake is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/animal-health-and-welfare-review-uptake/animal-health-and-welfare-review-uptake#eligible-farm-businesses-in-england
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