Universal Action 12: Animal health and welfare

The Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability Llyr Gruffydd announced on 19 July a change of process regarding the Animal Health Improvement Cycle (AHIC) within the Universal Action (UA) 12 of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). Welsh Government is progressing the integration of key elements of UA12 with accredited farm assurance schemes that formally agree to participate in this arrangement and meet the agreed requirements for delivery. This change is being taken forward as an early recommendation arising from the Government’s review into the bureaucratic burden on family farms.

• The aim of the AHIC is to help farmers and vets work together to identify priorities, take targeted action and drive continuous improvements in animal health, welfare and productivity. The requirements of the AHIC under UA12 remain unchanged. Veterinary expertise remains central to improving animal health, welfare and productivity outcomes.
• Welsh Government’s intention of integrating farm assurance scheme requirements with UA12 requirements is to reduce duplication and administrative burden for farmers and veterinary professionals, while maintaining the animal health and welfare outcomes. This new approach is not designed to dilute the AHIC or the farm assurance schemes that choose to integrate.
• Welsh Government will be working with interested farm assurance schemes over the coming months to understand how integration can work in practice.
• We will provide further updates as farm assurance schemes confirm whether they intend to integrate elements of UA12 into their Animal Health and Welfare Plans from 2027.
• Farmers who are members of an accredited farm assurance scheme that commits to integrating the AHIC from 2027 will not need to complete separate AHIC ‘measure’ and ‘plan’ requirements for 2026. Their existing farm assurance health and welfare plan requirements will be accepted as meeting this requirement. As a reminder, the 2026 requirement is to complete only the ‘measure’ and ‘plan’ elements of the AHIC.
• If a farmer has already completed the ‘measure’ and ‘plan’ elements of their AHIC for 2026 and is a member of a farm assurance scheme that has committed to integrating the AHIC into its animal health and welfare plan, they will be able to use the work already completed through their 2026 AHIC (for example, the priorities identified and actions agreed with their vet) to inform and support their 2027 farm assurance health and welfare plans.
• If a farmer has incurred costs in relation to the AHIC already but would have met the new requirements without incurring those costs, they can contact RPW via the online enquiry form and provide details of the costs incurred to see if they are entitled to compensation. Each case will be considered independently.
• If a farmer has not yet completed their qualifying farm assurance scheme animal health and welfare plan for 2026, we advise veterinary professionals to incorporate the ‘measure’ and ‘plan’ elements of the AHIC into their 2026 plan. This will support continuous improvement in animal health and welfare and help farmers prepare for their requirements in 2027.
• If a farmer is not a member of a farm assurance scheme, they will be unaffected by this change in approach, and their current AHIC requirements will still need to be met. The full guidance on Universal Action 12 can be found in section J12 of Sustainable Farming Scheme 2026: Universal Layer guidance .
• For the 2026 scheme year, all farmers will be required to undertake the Biosecurity Assessment for Incoming Stock (BAIS) in accordance with the Scheme Guidance. However, from 2027 Welsh Government intends to recognise this requirement as fulfilled for SFS participants whose farm assurance schemes commit to integrate the BAIS and AHIC into their health and welfare plans.
• Farmers who have obtained a Veterinary Attestation Number (VAN) but are not members of a recognised farm assurance scheme will still be required to complete all elements of UA12 if they have joined the SFS. A VAN is not a farm assurance scheme and will not be recognised as meeting AHIC or other UA12 requirements,

Welsh Government is progressing the integration of key elements of Universal Action 12 (UA12) with accredited farm assurance schemes that have formally agreed to participate in these arrangements. This approach is intended to reduce duplication and administrative burden for farmers and veterinary professionals while maintaining the animal health and welfare outcomes required under the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS).

For 2026, members of the following participating farm assurance schemes may use their scheme membership to demonstrate that the Animal Health Improvement Cycle (AHIC) ‘Measure’ and ‘Plan’ requirements of UA12 have been met:

• Farm Assured Welsh Livestock (FAWL)
• Red Tractor
• Pasture for Life

To note that farmers who are members of these three participating farm assurance schemes must still complete all other applicable requirements of UA12, including the relevant animal welfare requirements and the Biosecurity Assessment for Incoming Stock (BAIS) by 31 December 2026.

When updating their SFS Universal Dashboard, eligible farmers will be able to declare their membership of the relevant participating farm assurance scheme. This will be accepted as confirmation that the relevant AHIC ‘Measure’ and ‘Plan’ requirements have been met for the 2026 scheme year.

These agreements provide a basis for arrangements to integrate relevant UA12 requirements into farm assurance scheme processes from 2027. Further details will be provided in due course as these arrangements are developed.

Welsh Government remains open to engaging with any other recognised farm assurance schemes interested in supporting UA12 outcomes through their assurance processes. Interested schemes are encouraged to contact Welsh Government to discuss potential opportunities for participation.

Important reminder for farmers in the SFS Universal Layer

Farmers who are not members of a participating farm assurance scheme are unaffected by this announcement. The current UA12 requirements remain unchanged, and participants must continue to complete the required Animal Health Improvement Cycle and Biosecurity Assessment for Incoming Stock activities in accordance with the published scheme guidance.

Farmers are reminded they need to complete all applicable Universal Actions by 31 December and update their SFS Universal Dashboard on their RPW Online account by 15 January before their balance payments can be issued. Contact the Rural Payments Wales Customer Contact Centre if you require further advice or support.