Time to reframe animal health planning?

The majority of UK livestock farming is certified through a farm assurance scheme. Herd and flock health planning form a core element of scheme standards, and farm vets are responsible for producing and certifying these plans. Farm assurance schemes' health planning requirements are therefore an excellent opportunity for farm vets and their clients to work in partnership to improve the health and welfare of the animals under their care. Despite this, the value of these interactions to both vet and farmer can be highly variable and, in a world where farmers and vets are time- and resource-poor, both parties can view the process as a costly tick-box exercise. The current UK-wide review of farm assurance schemes, along with new, post-Brexit sustainable farming payment schemes being implemented across the devolved nations, offers an opportunity to reflect on the current approach to health planning and reframe this aspect of assurance as a practical, impactful and rewarding process.