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Before his career in politics, Epping Forest MP Dr Neil Hudson was a veterinary inspector who was on the frontline of the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001. Dr Hudson remembers the once bustling farms which became empty, the impact it had on the sector's mental health, and why the current Government should never take the UK's national biosecurity for granted

At a time when UK farmers are struggling to make ends meet and as they face continued pressure from animal diseases encroaching on the border, should the Government be stressing the importance of prioritising cheap food over food security?

Aberystwyth University set to become Wales's first high throughput testing centre for notifiable animal diseases following Gov funding

The report said insufficient biosecurity controls, illegal meat entering the UK, vets leaving the sector, and policy changes to bTB have all left the UK exposed to animal disease threats

Following the first confirmed cases of bluetongue in Wales, in the 2025/26 vector season, the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) for Wales has implemented a Temporary Control Zone

Welsh farmers have already been counting the losses in trade due to bluetongue restrictions, but the sector will have to wait another two weeks before they can potentially take vaccinated livestock to one of eight eligible markets in England

Chester South and Eddisbury MP Aphra Brandreth writes for Farmers Guardian on the heartbreak of animal disease on-farm, such as bovine TB, and how years of hard work can be compromised by a single positive test

Farmers said new bluetongue restrictions could have long-term implications on trade, the viability of rural businesses, and farmers' health

Former Defra Secretary George Eustice discusses trade, imports, the EU reset and the importance of technology in agriculture

Liberal Democrat MP Dr Danny Chambers said the UK needs to get serious and start preparing for the next animal disease outbreak