£15m earmarked to boost vets' research

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs this week announced a £15 million injection to boost veterinary training and research in universities.

The cash will be spent over three years and will be complemented by a five-year £25 million initiative from the Wellcome Trust to research exotic animal diseases in the UK and developing countries. The extra funds follow last week's report into foot-and-mouth by the Royal Society, which calls for £250 million to be pumped into veterinary research over ten years.