Information
About Animal Health and Welfare NI
Animal Health and Welfare NI (AHWNI) was formally launched in 2012. It is an initiative by farmers' organisations and the wider cattle industry to promote improved cattle health and welfare with Northern Ireland. It is overseen by a board of directors. Its remit covers diseases and conditions of cattle which are endemic in Northern Ireland, but which are not currently subject to regulation or coordinated programmes of control. AHWNI seeks to benefit livestock producers and processors by providing the knowledge, education and coordination required to establish effective control programmes for non-notifiable diseases of livestock.
Pictured left to right: John Thompson (Chairman, AHWNI) Minister O'Neill and Dr Sam Strain (CE,AHWNI)
at the launch of the of the BVD Eradication Scheme (NI) on the 1st March 2016.
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) is the first disease to be addressed. Eradication programmes for this disease are already underway in the Republic of Ireland and Scotland. A cross-industry BVD Implementation Group (BVDIG) has being created to develop a NI Eradication Programme. This programme became compulsory from the 1st March 2016. A programme on Johne’s disease is also under development.
