Automatic milking

Institute for Animal Health

The Institute for Animal Health (IAH) is the largest research institute in the United Kingdom dedicated to the health of farm animals. It has three sites the Compton Laboratory, the Pirbright Laboratory and the Neuropathogenesis Unit, Edinburgh. It is administered from Compton.

The mission of the Institute is:
to understand the processes of infectious diseases and from that knowledge improve the efficiency and sustainability of livestock farming, enhance animal welfare, safeguard the supply and safety of food and protect the environment.

The research programme is funded by the Office of Science and Technology (through the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Medical Research Council), the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Health and various international agencies and industry.

The IAH has the facilities and staff to carry out contract research on behalf of industrial clients.

The Institute provides, on behalf of the Office International des Epizooties, the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the European Union, reference laboratories for the emergency diagnosis of a range of major economic diseases. A vaccine bank for Foot-and-Mouth Disease is maintained on behalf of an international consortium. Several staff are recognised as experts by the OIE.

The IAH has ongoing collaborative research projects with many other countries. It also offers a number of training opportunities during the year, either for veterinary under-graduates and post-graduates or in the form of courses.

The main publication of the Institute is its Annual Report which is available as hard copy or in electronic form. For further details visit the institute website www.iah.bbsrc.ac.uk

The research and support programmes are managed in four divisions