TO BE PUBLISHED December 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for animal and plant health in the UK. The agenda will consider priorities for disease and pest prevention, biosecurity and outbreak preparedness, alongside the capacity, regulation and innovation needed to support resilient farming and horticulture, food production and trade.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to consider implications of current reform for those responsible for regulation and delivery, as well as for farmers, growers, veterinary professionals and businesses affected by them. Discussion takes place in the context of policy developments across the UK and in the individual nations. This includes the Animal Welfare Strategy for England and proposed changes to livestock health and welfare requirements; the UK’s new international plant health priorities for surveillance, diagnostics and biosecurity; the Farming Roadmap 2050 and the Government’s response to the Farming Profitability Review with their focus on productivity, profitability and resilience; and proposals for reform of veterinary regulation and service provision.
Attendees will consider practical requirements and impacts of implementation across different farming and production systems, including veterinary, inspection, surveillance and diagnostic capacity, looking at the costs and investment required of farm and horticultural businesses, and the potential for data and technology to support earlier detection and more targeted intervention.
Discussion will also examine how responsibilities, costs and risks should be shared between government, regulators and those operating across farming, horticulture and the wider supply chain, including as disease and pest risks change and new UK-EU SPS arrangements affect regulatory requirements, border controls, market access and competitiveness.
Plant health, biosecurity & surveillance
Delegates will examine the UK’s international plant health commitments and priorities for strengthening preparedness for pest and pathogen threats across horticulture, agriculture and forestry. Discussion will examine surveillance and diagnostic capacity, risks associated with trade and new import pathways, and how government, industry and research organisations can support earlier detection and effective response.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- surveillance & preparedness: pest and pathogen detection - inspector, laboratory and diagnostic capacity - contingency planning and outbreak response
- trade & pathways: plants for planting, e-commerce and postal imports - phytosanitary controls and plant passporting
- industry & innovation: reporting and data-sharing - development and uptake of diagnostic tools - domestic propagation and resilience
- international cooperation: implementation of the new action plan - standards, electronic certification and market access
Animal welfare, livestock health & disease prevention
The agenda will also focus on priorities moving forward for implementation of reform to farm animal welfare and livestock health, including practical implications of the Animal Welfare Strategy for England and proposals for wider participation in the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. Discussion will consider the pace and practicalities of change, the capacity and investment required, and implications for different farming systems.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- welfare reform: priorities for implementation and transition - implications for different production systems and businesses
- livestock health: proposed mandatory health reviews and disease-control programmes - veterinary involvement, participation and practical delivery
- farm viability & implementation: investment and infrastructure requirements - costs and proportionality - implications for smaller producers and tenant farmers
- disease prevention & preparedness: farm biosecurity, vaccination and movement controls - preparedness for livestock disease outbreaks
Veterinary regulation, workforce & capacity
The regulatory framework and workforce arrangements for veterinary services will be explored, looking at what will be needed for the sector to be equipped for changing demands across animal health and welfare, disease control, food production and trade. With proposals for substantial reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, delegates will consider implications for professional roles and responsibilities, regulation of veterinary businesses and the wider veterinary team, and how workforce capacity and expertise can be effectively utilised across clinical practice, public veterinary functions and disease preparedness.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- regulatory reform: licence and fitness to practise - regulation of veterinary and animal healthcare businesses - professional standards, accountability and complaints
- workforce capacity: recruitment, retention and training - pressures across private practice and public veterinary services - capacity for disease control, certification and other statutory functions
- the wider veterinary team: veterinary nurses and allied professionals - delegation and scope of practice - making effective use of skills across the workforce
- future provision: changing models of veterinary service delivery - access and availability across farming and rural areas - the role of technology and remote provision
Technology, data & precision breeding
The agenda also looks at how new technologies can be used in disease prevention, surveillance and breeding, and the regulatory and practical conditions affecting their adoption. This includes next steps for precision breeding in England, including development of the framework for animals, implications of the EU’s new regime for NGT plants and of emerging UK-EU SPS arrangements, as well as priorities for making greater use of data, diagnostics and monitoring technologies across farming and animal and plant health.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- data & surveillance:
- access to and interoperability of government, industry and veterinary data - information governance
- using combined datasets for earlier identification and assessment of disease and pest risks
- diagnostics & monitoring: rapid and on-farm testing - remote monitoring and decision-support tools - validation, cost and practical barriers to adoption across different holdings and sectors
- precision breeding:
- development of the England framework for animals - applications in disease resistance, welfare and resilience
- interaction between the regimes and approaches across the UK and the EU - implications of future SPS arrangements
- adoption & assurance: routes from research and development into practical use - traceability and information requirements - confidence among producers, supply chains and consumers
Trade, biosecurity & competitiveness
Further discussion will examine implications of the developing UK-EU SPS agreement for animal and plant health, farming and horticultural businesses and agri-food trade. The practical transition towards new arrangements will be explored, alongside the scope and consequences of dynamic alignment, changes to certification and border controls, and how reduced trade friction can be achieved while maintaining effective protection against animal disease and plant pests.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- SPS arrangements: scope and implementation of dynamic alignment - transition and business readiness - implications for regulatory change across farming and horticulture
- trade & border controls: changes to certification and routine checks - future requirements for EU and third-country trade - maintaining proportionate and effective biosecurity
- competitiveness & standards:
- effects of domestic welfare, environmental and biosecurity requirements on production costs - treatment of imported products produced to different standards
- options around core production standards and other safeguards
- market access: opportunities arising from reduced barriers to EU trade - implications for exporters and import-dependent sectors - movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, NI; Food Standards Agency; the Isle of Man Government; Welsh Government; and The Scottish Government.
