The average numbers of staff employed by the Group during the year, which includes Directors, were:

	2019 Number	2018 Number
Manufacturing	591	480
Distribution	151	128
Administration	989	829
Total	1,731	1,437

The costs incurred in respect of these employees were:

	2019 £m	2018 £m
Wages and salaries	78.8	72.0
Social security costs	10.5	9.2
Other pension costs	4.5	3.7
Curtailment of defined benefit pension scheme (see note 23)	(3.5)	–
Share-based payments charge (see note 28)	2.4	3.3
Total	92.7	88.2

Related party transactions – the remuneration of key management was as follows:

	2019 £m	2018 £m
Short term employee benefits	5.7	5.5
Post-employment benefits	0.3	0.3
Share-based payments charge	1.4	1.6
	7.4	7.4

Key management comprises the Board and the Senior Executive Team. Details of the remuneration, shareholdings, share options, pension contributions and payments for loss of office of the Executive Directors are included in the Letter from the Remuneration Committee Chairman, the Remuneration Philosophy and the 2019 Annual Report on Remuneration.

The Group operates a stakeholder personal pension scheme for certain employees and contributed between 4% and 14% of pensionable salaries. The Group also participates in state-run pension arrangements for certain employees in Dechra Veterinary Products SAS and Dechra Veterinary Products BV. Total pension contributions amounted to £4.5 million (2018: £3.7 million). Contributions to defined benefit pension schemes included in the above figures total £0.3 million (2018: £0.7 million).