We operate as a Home Office Licensed establishment with Category 2 biosecurity (ACDP 2) and flexible housing configurations – supporting studies in poultry, cattle, pigs, sheep and goats, with additional farmed or other species supported on request.

Whether you need a tightly controlled in-life environment, specialist units for C14 radiolabelled metabolism work, or a delivery model that blends facility and field, our focus is the same: consistent animal care, disciplined study conduct, and data you can rely on.

Designed for quality and practical study delivery

Drayton Animal Health pride themselves on protecting welfare and ensuring data integrity.

Ours are designed to reduce avoidable variability, support repeatable processes, and enable clear observation and documentation. That means appropriate space, sensible layouts for animal management, and the infrastructure to run studies efficiently without creating unnecessary complexity.

We run work across a range of study types and sponsor requirements, so flexibility is Key. Housing, penning and room configurations can be adapted to the needs of the protocol, and our teams work to maintain consistent husbandry and oversight across the full in-life period.

Farm Labs

Core facility capabilities

Below is a summary of the key capability areas available on site:

  • GLP facilities: We operate to GLP requirements for relevant study types, with appropriate procedures, documentation and oversight in place to support credible, auditable outputs.
  • Biological containment: ACDP Category 2 capability, including the ability to work with Class 2 GMOs where required, supported by appropriate containment controls and operating practices.
  • Environment control: 16 environment-controlled rooms (each 55m²) suitable for poultry, pigs and cattle. These rooms support stable, repeatable conditions and consistent monitoring – particularly valuable when environmental variables matter to the study’s endpoints.
  • Flexible penning configurations: A wide range of penning options to support different ages, categories and study designs, including farrowing capability and specialist configurations.
  • On-site laboratory: On-site parasitology and microbiology laboratory, enabling efficient handling of time-sensitive samples and practical continuity between in-life activity and lab-based endpoints.
  • OECD capability: OECD 505 animal feeding study unit and OECD 503 C14 metabolism unit. These units support programmes where metabolism and transfer pathways must be understood and documented to an appropriate standard.
  • Field studies and collaborations: Strong collaborations with farming businesses and specialist laboratories across the UK and Europe. Where a commercial setting is the right fit, we can support field placement and oversight through trusted partners while maintaining disciplined monitoring and documentation.
Farm

Talk to us about your facility-based study requirements

If you’re planning a programme and want a practical view on feasibility, timelines and study route, get in touch. We’ll help you shape a sensible, confidential plan – built around your objectives and not a standard package.

Contact our team

If you’re planning a study and want a CRO partner who’s practical, responsive and disciplined, get in contact with our team.

Tell us the species, product type, and what you need to demonstrate, and we’ll come back with a sensible route forward and initial proposal to discuss.

A short call is often enough to confirm feasibility, timelines and the right delivery approach (facility, field, or a blend). We work confidentially and we’ll be candid early on about what’s achievable and what will de-risk your programme.

Get in touch with one of our team today:

Contact our team