Although the Government, the NFU and the National Beef Association (NBA) perceive the Farm Health Planning Cattle Initiative a positive step forward, it has left others, who were approved for only partial funding, ‘disappointed’.

Out of the 59 proposals battling it out for Farm Health Planning Cattle Initiative grants, going towards farmer and veterinary training and advice workshops, only 27 projects were successful in obtaining a share of the £1.6 million on offer from Defra.

A joint bid by Lancashire Vets Association and the University of Liverpool asked for funding for three specific areas, amounting to £69,800 which included holding farm meetings, training vets to run them and general publicity.

However, funding for the co-ordination of meetings and their content, as well as funding for the creation of a website and for vets to prepare articles for publication for publicity purposes, was not approved by Defra.

Source: Farmers Guardian