New haulier contracts came into place on 1 April 2019, and the increase in providers means that carcasses can be collected more quickly from farms for delivery to APHA post-mortem examination (PME) laboratories, leading to a more efficient service.
APHA undertakes PMEs and sample testing at its six Veterinary Investigation Centres (VICs) or through its partner PME providers with the aim of detecting new or re-emerging animal disease threats and identifying changes in endemic disease trends.
The APHA funded free-to-farmer carcass collection service is available in England and Wales to farms more than one hour’s drive from either an APHA Veterinary Investigation Centre (VIC) or one of its PME providers.
The service is provided when disease is suspected and PME of the carcass may be of surveillance value. To access the service farmers should contact their vet who in turn should contact the duty vet at their local PME centre. If it is agreed that a PME would be beneficial, APHA or one of its PME providers will undertake this at a subsidised rate, including any further tests that need to be undertaken.
To check where your nearest PME site is go to APHA’s online postcode search tool on the APHA Vet Gateway.
Further details about post mortems and APHA services are available here.
