---
title: "RDE715 Animal welfare indicators for precision bred cattle, sheep and turkey"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-ad4b7547-c24d-44e1-aaf0-fd7a0a54a723"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-ad4b7547-c24d-44e1-aaf0-fd7a0a54a723"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ad4b7547-c24d-44e1-aaf0-fd7a0a54a723.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ad4b7547-c24d-44e1-aaf0-fd7a0a54a723.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS"
published: "2024-12-18"
---

# RDE715 Animal welfare indicators for precision bred cattle, sheep and turkey

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-ad4b7547-c24d-44e1-aaf0-fd7a0a54a723

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## Summary

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has awarded a contract to develop animal welfare indicators for precision bred cattle, sheep, and turkey. The project, titled "RDE715 Animal welfare indicators for precision bred cattle, sheep and turkey," falls under the industry category of research and development consultancy services (CPV code 73200000). This selective procurement was initiated through a call-off from a framework agreement. The contract period starts on 6 January 2025 and ends on 30 April 2025, with an overall contract value of £31,999.27 GBP. Key delivery locations include the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Europe, and the Rest of the World.

This tender presents significant business opportunities, particularly for companies experienced in precision breeding and animal welfare research. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) are well-suited to compete due to the scope for specialised consultancy work. Businesses involved in developing new breeding technologies or with expertise in animal welfare assessments would particularly benefit from participating in this project. The emphasis on creating and enhancing welfare indicators aligns with ongoing industry efforts to ensure sustainable and humane farming practices, offering growth prospects through innovation and enhanced industry standards.

## Notice

Precision breeding technologies, such as gene editing, have the potential to improve the health and welfare of animals, and improve the sustainability and resilience of farming systems. Such technologies can enable new traits to be developed more precisely and more efficiently than traditional breeding techniques. There are already examples of research taking place across the UK to develop resistance against some devastating diseases such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome in pigs, bird flu in chickens and Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis virus in fish. At the same time, many respondents to Defra's consultation on gene editing, as well as contributors to discussions during the passage of legislation through Parliament, voiced concerns that use of the technology might exacerbate animal welfare issues in breeding. As such, this project will develop welfare indicators for precision bred cattle (dairy and beef), sheep and turkey, building on the scoping work and overarching framework set out in AW0521. The species-specific welfare assessments will be divided into three tiers; basic tier - a baseline of what is already done in a commercial setting including, for instance, basic processes included in breeding industry manuals, and basic health checks and routine monitoring checks by farm staff or veterinarians; enhanced tier - AW0521 noted that the basic-tier of indicators for pigs, poultry, and salmon, did not cover all of the Five Domains. If this is also the case for any of the new species being considered here, an "enhanced" tier of indicators will be included to assess welfare across all Five Domains; Enhanced plus tier - AW0521 considered a number of behavioural tests that give a more in-depth analysis of the animal's cognitive and emotional function, and some laboratory tests. These tests typically require specialised equipment or testing expertise that may not currently be available in breeding companies. The first project also considered indicators that need further development for use in an on-farm welfare assessment setting. If any such indicators are identified for the new species now being considered, they will be included in an "enhanced-plus" tier. For each species, the key life stages will be identified, following the approach in AW0521 of following the key developmental stages, such as birth, nutritional independence, appropriate growth stages / commercial production stages and reproductive stages. If the effects of a gene edit may manifest themselves at different stages of life, then the welfare indicators will be sorted by life stage to ensure that the impact of the precision bred trait on the animal's health and welfare can be fully assessed.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/04fd8971-95f7-44ee-b828-bfacf16eeaf3 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Call-off from a framework agreement |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 18 Dec 2024 |
| Submission deadline | 30 Dec 2024 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 2 Dec 2024 |
| Contract period | 6 Jan 2025 - 30 Apr 2025 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £31,999 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £31,999 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1P 3JR |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | Westminster |
| Electoral ward | St James's |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | SAC COMMERCIAL |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73200000 - Research and development consultancy services

## Release History

- 18 Dec 2024 at 11:28 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/04fd8971-95f7-44ee-b828-bfacf16eeaf3

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/04fd8971-95f7-44ee-b828-bfacf16eeaf3
  18th December 2024 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder

## Provenance

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