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Animal and Plant Health Agency

Website
Location
Woodham Lane
Addlestone
Surrey
KT15 3NB
GB

We work to safeguard animal and plant health for the benefit of people, the environment and the economy.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) was launched on 1 October 2014. It merges the former Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) with parts of the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) responsible for plant and bee health to create a single agency responsible for animal, plant and bee health.

Our headquarters is located in Weybridge, Surrey. We employ around 2,500 staff, based at various sites across the UK.

Our responsibilities We’re responsible for:

  • identifying and controlling endemic and exotic diseases and pests in animals, plants and bees, and surveillance of new and emerging pests and diseases
  • scientific research in areas such as bacterial, viral, prion and parasitic diseases and vaccines, and food safety
  • ensuring high standards of welfare in farmed animals
  • facilitating trade in animals and in products of animal origin
  • protecting endangered wildlife through licensing and registration
  • managing a programme of apiary (bee) inspections, diagnostics, research and development, and training and advice
  • regulating the safe disposal of animal by-products to reduce the risk of potentially dangerous substances entering the food chain

Our priorities From 2014 to 2015, our priorities will be:

  • to successfully manage the merger of AHVLA with the Plant, Seed and Bee Health Inspectorates of Fera and launch a new combined agency
  • identify future issues for animal health and welfare in line with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Scottish government and Welsh government policy
  • look for new sources of income, and continue to introduce charges for services that are currently provided free to the industry
  • introduce a procurement programme for the supply of veterinary services
  • introduce a new way of working with private veterinary surgeons
  • introduce Surveillance 2014, a new model for monitoring for trends in animal diseases
  • continue to provide scientific evidence to help tackle bovine tuberculosis

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