Consultation on sharing costs and responsibility: animal health and welfare
Options for sharing responsibility and costs on animal health and welfare policy have been set out in a consultation launched by Defra today.
The consultation seeks views on how the farming industry could be further involved in the decision-making process for animal health and welfare, such as during disease outbreaks, and whether this should be done through existing structures and organisations or new organisational structures.
The consultation also looks at the principles of how the funding for animal health and welfare can be shared between Government and the industry in the future.
Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming and Animal Health, Jeff Rooker said:
“It is only right that the industry should have a greater say in how disease is controlled and outbreaks are managed, as they are directly affected by those decisions.
“The partnership work involved in tackling the recent Bluetongue outbreak, for example, is an excellent indication of how Government and industry can work together, with industry taking on an active role in managing disease.
“We want to reform the current system so that the industry is central to the decision-making process and contributes to the costs of those decisions in a fair and transparent way.”
The consultation closes on 15 April. Responses will be used to help develop detailed proposals on responsibility and cost sharing which will be consulted on in 2008.
Further information
Page published: 11 December 2007