Animal Health and Welfare NI

What Animal Health and Welfare NI does

Animal Health and Welfare NI (AHWNI) is a not-for-profit industry partnership founded in 2012 and headquartered in Dungannon, Northern Ireland. It was established by livestock producers, processors, animal health advisers, and government to coordinate the control and eradication of endemic livestock diseases — principally Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD), Johne's Disease, sheep scab, iceberg diseases in sheep, Mycoplasma bovis, and biosecurity-related threats. Its core product is the compulsory BVD Eradication Programme, which has been statutory under Northern Ireland legislation since 1 March 2016 and requires all calves born into herds to be tested using tissue sample-enabled official identity tags; follow-up testing captures positive or inconclusive results. The organization also operates voluntary programmes for Johne's Disease (with VRAMP veterinary visits), a Sheep Health Programme covering the NI Sheep Scab Scheme and iceberg diseases, and supporting programmes in biosecurity, parasite control, medicine use, and Mycoplasma bovis. A self-service Responsible Medicine Use Course is delivered online via Thinkific to help dairy farmers meet Red Tractor training requirements.

AHWNI's technical platform is a centralized database that integrates with the DAERA NIFAIS system and is accessible to herd owners via Government Gateway credentials. Approved laboratories and DAERA-designated tag suppliers feed test results electronically into the database, which is the operational system of record for compliance, cattle movement declarations, and herd-health status. The organization is overseen by a board drawn from across the NI agri-food industry and partners with DAERA, the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), the Ulster Farmers Union, the Livestock & Meat Commission NI, Animal Health Ireland (cross-border), and CVERA at University College Dublin for all-island disease mapping. By 2022, animal-level BVD incidence in NI had fallen to 0.264% from over 70% pre-programme, and over 70% of approximately 21,877 NI cattle herds had all cattle tested with negative results.

AHWNI is funded through industry and government partnerships rather than commercial pricing; specific revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. The organization operates with a small staff (1–10) led by Chief Executive Dr. Sam Strain. Its reach is wholly domestic to Northern Ireland, and its go-to-market is community-led: direct engagement with farmers, veterinary practitioners, industry publications, and an online database portal. Pricing for individual services is not publicly disclosed, consistent with the not-for-profit, levy-and-grant-funded model. Additional revenue is derived from supplementary offerings such as the Thinkific-hosted training course.

Name

Animal Health and Welfare NI

Legal name

Animal Health and Welfare NI (AHWNI)

Website

https://animalhealthni.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Animal Health and Welfare NI is a not-for-profit industry partnership that manages the compulsory BVD eradication programme and voluntary livestock health schemes for Northern Ireland's cattle and sheep farmers, operating a centralized database integrated with DAERA's NIFAIS system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Livestock Disease Control Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Animal Production (1152)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAMAJAL

Notifiable Disease Management & Eradication Programs

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Veterinary & Animal Health/Animal Health Public Health, Regulators & Disease Control

SECONDARYAFACADAA

Herd Health Program Design & Preventive Medicine

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Services (Custom Farming, Agronomy, Veterinary)/Veterinary Services (Farm Animal & Herd Health)

SECONDARYHLAMAJAB

Animal Disease Surveillance & Reporting Systems

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Veterinary & Animal Health/Animal Health Public Health, Regulators & Disease Control

SECONDARYAFACALAD

Disease Surveillance, Sampling & Outbreak Response (Monitoring, Reporting, Containment)

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Services (Custom Farming, Agronomy, Veterinary)/Animal Health Services (Vaccination Programs, Biosecurity, Parasite Control)

SECONDARYAFACALAE

Diagnostics & Laboratory Coordination (Sample Collection, Lab Liaison, Interpretation)

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Services (Custom Farming, Agronomy, Veterinary)/Animal Health Services (Vaccination Programs, Biosecurity, Parasite Control)

Keywords

• Livestock disease control
• BVD eradication programme
• Animal health programmes
• Cattle health monitoring
• Veterinary epidemiology

Headquarters

HQ city

Dungannon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Industry and Government Funding: AHWNI is a not-for-profit organization funded through industry and government partnerships. The organization was set up by the NI Agri-Food industry to assist in controlling and eradicating endemic diseases of livestock.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AHWNI coordinates multiple animal health programmes for Northern Ireland livestock producers, centred on the compulsory Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) Eradication Programme that tests all calves using tissue sample-enabled official identity tags. The organisation also runs voluntary control programmes for Johne's Disease, Sheep Health (including sheep scab and Iceberg Diseases), Biosecurity, Medicine Use, Parasite Control, and Mycoplasma bovis, all supported by a centralized database tracking system integrated with DAERA's NIFAIS platform.

Product overview

Animal Health and Welfare NI operates as a not-for-profit industry partnership managing multiple animal health programmes in Northern Ireland. The core offerings include the compulsory BVD Eradication Programme (testing cattle using tissue sample-enabled tags) and voluntary programmes for Johne's Disease, Sheep Health including the NI Sheep Scab Scheme, Biosecurity, Medicine Use, Parasite Control, and Mycoplasma. The organization provides an online database for farmers to access test results and generates guidance publications and bulletins. An online Responsible Medicine Use Course is delivered through Thinkific. The programmes are supported by a network of approved laboratories, designated tag suppliers, and veterinary practitioners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BVD Eradication Programme A compulsory Northern Ireland BVD eradication programme that tests all cattle for Bovine Viral Diarrhoea virus using tissue sample-enabled official identity tags collected at birth, with follow-up testing for positive or inconclusive results. Required for all cattle keepers in Northern Ireland.
• Johne's Disease Control Programme (JDCP) A voluntary control programme developed in conjunction with Animal Health Ireland to help herds without evidence of infection maintain that status and assist infected herds in dealing with the disease effectively through Veterinary Risk Assessment and Management Plan (VRAMP) visits.
• Sheep Health Programme Work programme aimed at reducing the financial, welfare and environmental impacts of endemic sheep diseases. Includes the NI Sheep Scab Scheme and management of Iceberg Diseases (Maedi Visna, Ovine Johne's Disease, OPA, Caseous Lymphadenitis, Border Disease).
• Biosecurity Programme Provides science-based, practical advice and guidelines on disease control including bioexclusion (keeping infectious diseases out of holdings) and biocontainment (reducing infectious disease threats within the farm).
• Medicine Use Programme Provides access to trusted best practice information on medicine use and facilitates optimized use through improved animal health strategies. Hosts the Northern Ireland Medicines Use Forum for responsible use of medicines discussion.
• Parasite Control Programme Offers guidance on parasite control using appropriate strategies in cattle and sheep, tailored to individual units to deal with relevant disease risks for improved productivity and profitability.
• Mycoplasma bovis Programme Provides information and guidance on Mycoplasma bovis, a challenging problem causing respiratory disease in calves, arthritis and mastitis in affected herds across Northern Ireland.
• Iceberg Diseases Management Comprehensive management programme covering five iceberg diseases of concern: Maedi Visna (MV), Ovine Johne's Disease (OJD), Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma (OPA), Caseous Lymphadenitis (CLA), and Border Disease (BD). These are diseases difficult to detect with long incubation periods.
• Responsible Medicine Use Course Online training course for dairy farmers on responsible medicine use, delivered through the Thinkific platform with self-service certificate generation. Successful completion fulfils Red Tractor requirements on medicine training.
• AHWNI Database Online database system allowing herd owners to access BVD test results, view letters and reports, generate declarations of negative results, and update contact details. Accessed via Government Gateway credentials and integrated with DAERA's NIFAIS system.

Quantifiable outcome

• BVD incidence reduced by over 70% since compulsory programme began in March 2016
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Animal Health Ireland (AHI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAHWNI collaborates with Animal Health Ireland on cross-border BVD eradication efforts. The organizations produce joint all-island BVD maps and share programme data. Both programmes are similar in design, based on mandatory testing using tissue-sample enabled national identity tags.
• Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDAERA is the government department overseeing animal health in Northern Ireland. AHWNI works with DAERA for BVD programme implementation, data sharing on NIFAIS, and regulatory compliance. DAERA provides legislative framework and system access for the BVD eradication scheme.
• Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFBI is a member of the BVD Implementation Group and provides scientific research and technical expertise to support the BVD eradication programme in Northern Ireland.
• Ulster Farmers UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the BVD Implementation Group representing farmers' interests in the industry's eradication programme.
• Livestock & Meat Commission NIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the BVD Implementation Group representing the meat industry in Northern Ireland's disease control efforts.
• Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis (CVERA), University College DublincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCVERA produces all-island BVD maps displaying distribution of herds with positive test results, demonstrating progress of both NI and ROI BVD eradication programmes.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Animal Health Ireland (AHI): Industry-led, not-for-profit partnership coordinating animal health programmes (notably BVD, Johne's Disease, and IBR) across the Republic of Ireland. Most direct comparable: same disease-control mandate, similar tissue-tag testing methodology, and an established cross-border collaboration partner of AHWNI.
• Cattle Health Certification Standards (CHeCS): UK-wide self-regulatory body setting health certification standards for cattle herds (Johne's, BVD, IBR, Leptospirosis). Comparable as a programme coordinator for endemic cattle disease control in the UK, though operating on a voluntary membership basis rather than statutory mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Scotland's Rural College (SRUC): Publicly funded institution delivering veterinary surveillance, disease control research, and farmer advisory services across Scotland. Comparable as a regional animal-health coordinating body within the UK, though broader in scope (education, research) than AHWNI's focused programme-delivery role.
• Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB): UK statutory levy board representing cattle, sheep, pig, and crop sectors with farmer-funded programmes on health, productivity, and market intelligence. Comparable as an industry-funded body coordinating sector-wide initiatives; broader remit but similar industry-partnership structure.

Emerging players

• RUMA (Responsible Use of Medicines Alliance): UK-wide independent alliance promoting responsible antibiotic and medicine use in livestock. Comparable as a sector-coordinator on responsible medicine use — directly overlapping with AHWNI's Medicine Use Programme and Red Tractor-aligned training course.
• Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC): New Zealand farmer-owned cooperative providing national livestock database, herd testing, and animal health services. Comparable as a farmer-owned entity running a national animal-data infrastructure used for traceability, testing, and disease control — a similar model to AHWNI's NIFAIS-integrated database.

Regional players

• National Sheep Association (NSA): UK-wide membership organisation representing sheep farmers and advocating on health, welfare, and disease control (including sheep scab and iceberg diseases). Comparable as an industry body addressing the same sheep-health challenges AHWNI targets in its Sheep Health Programme.

Others

• Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI): NI government-funded scientific institute providing diagnostic laboratory services and research underpinning AHWNI's BVD programme. Comparable as a partner in the disease-control ecosystem and operates the eServices portal where the AHWNI database is hosted.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/animalhealthni
• Facebookm.facebook.com/people/Animal-Health-Welfare-NI/100063572126347
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/animal-health-and-welfare-ni

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Animal Health and Welfare NI