Animal health services - field delivery: review extension

1 - Introduction

1.1 The 2020 review of the field delivery of animal health services in Scotland made recommendations pertaining to future delivery which were accepted by Ministers at the time. This extension is not intended to repeat the analysis of the previous review but aims to evaluate the impact of developments since the report was published, notably EU exit and the COVID-19 pandemic. The implications of the manifesto commitments made by the current Scottish Government during the 2021 election campaign are also considered.

1.2 The terms of reference for this extension were developed by Scottish Government and can be found in full in Annex 1.

1.3 The review methodology was based on desk-based analysis and face to face interviews. This was supplemented by written evidence provided by several organisations. A record of the participating organisations and individuals is recorded in Annex 2.

1.4 I am grateful to all who contributed to this work and for the support provided by Scottish Government and the secretariat.