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£5.5m funding for Africa’s livestock
An initial programme aims to reduce death rates and reproductive losses in dairy cattle.
Vets delivering initiative to improve animal health

A multi-million pound initiative is underway to improve the health and productivity of farmed animals in sub-Saharan Africa.

Eight experts have been recruited to drive the Supporting Evidence Based Interventions (SEBI) initiative, which is based at the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.

The £5.5 million project aims to boost the livelihoods of livestock farmers using evidence-based technologies that offer sustainable solutions to their challenges.

An initial programme aims to reduce death rates and reproductive losses in dairy cattle in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania. Sub-grants will help research groups to explore the causes of these losses. The University of Glasgow has received the first of these grants to build a disease surveillance platform in Tanzania.

A second programme will facilitate data gathering and the development of tools to better track livestock performance. An international network of practitioners, the Livestock Data for Decisions (LD4D) community to standardise data management across borders.

Finally, a third strand of the initiative will fund researchers to evaluate veterinary interventions for their use in developing countries. The University of Guelph has been granted £125,000 to fund field trials of a hand-held device that can detect animal diseases. Using this portable sensor, dairy farmers can quickly diagnose diseases in cows from a small amount of blood or milk.

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
UK's BSE risk status downgraded

The WOAH has downgraded the UK's international risk status for BSE to 'negligible'.

Defra says that the UK's improved risk status recognises the reputation for having the highest standards for biosecurity. It adds that it demonstrates decades of rigorous animal control.

Outbreaks of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, have previously resulted in bans on Britain's beef exports.

The UK's new status could lead to expanded trade and better confidence in British beef.

Christine Middlemiss, the UK's chief veterinary officer, said: "WOAH's recognition of the UK as negligible risk for BSE is a significant milestone and is a testament to the UK's strong biosecurity measures and the hard work and vigilance of farmers and livestock keepers across the country who have all played their part in managing the spread of this disease.