Responsibility and cost sharing for animal health and welfare
The overriding objective of sharing animal health and welfare responsibilities between industry and Government is to achieve better management of animal disease risks so that the overall risks and costs are reduced. This work has the potential to fundamentally change the relationship between industry and Government to the benefit of both. Through the sharing of responsibilities, industry will be able to take greater responsibility for its own decisions and will have greater ownership of the risks. In addition, responsibility sharing will provide opportunities for improved regulation and a reduction in the regulatory burden in future. Government will benefit from increased industry involvement in decision making, which should mean a greater ability to respond and deliver outcomes more effectively and efficiently.
In order to maximise the benefits this work will need commitment from both industry and Government to work in a true partnership to address how decisions relating to animal health and welfare activities are made and how costs are apportioned.
Key documents
- Consultation on responsibility and cost sharing for animal health and welfare: next steps - your views matter
- Animal Health and Welfare Strategy
2004
(1.28 MB - Warning: this is a large file) aims to develop
a new partnership between Government and the farming industry - Partners
for success: a farm regulation and charging strategy
(980 KB) repeats Government’s commitment to working in partnership
with the farming industry
- Joint (Industry/Government) Working Group on sharing responsibilities and costs of animal disease concluded that a joint industry and Government approach to sharing costs and responsibility for exotic animal disease, based on genuine partnership, is the right approach
- The Commission are currently looking at cost sharing in the context of the 2007-2013 Community Animal Health Policy
- EIG responsibility and cost sharing (RCS) subgroup.
Workshops
A series of workshops on Responsibility and Cost Sharing were held across England during February and March 2008. Further information is available here.
2009 Consultation
As part of the consultation process on a new governance and funding structure for animal health launched in March 2009, Defra is holding a series of events across England in May and June. These will allow animal keepers and other interested parties to hear first-hand the Government’s proposals, and will also provide the opportunity to let Defra hear the views those who will be affected by the proposed changes.
Further information and a registration form (PDF 83KB) are available here.
UK Responsibility and Cost Sharing Consultative Forum
We established this group of key stakeholders to help develop policy on Responsibility and Cost Sharing. The UK Consultative Forum met for the first time on 6 December 2006, and membership details and papers from later meetings are available.
Latest news
30 March 2009 - The consultation on a new independent body for animal health: A modern governance and funding structure for tackling animal diseases was published today.
Page last modified:
30 April, 2009
Page published: 11 December, 2006