The RCVS is encouraging all members of the veterinary team to respond to a consultation launched by Defra last week, which is seeking views on whether English language testing should be introduced for European Union veterinary graduates who qualified outside the UK. Outlining its proposals on July 22, Defra explained that, under the European Professional […]
Union expresses concern about plans to close surveillance centre
A proposal by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) to close the veterinary disease surveillance centre (DSC) at Inverness shows that ‘lessons have clearly not been learned from previous outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease’, according to the trade union Prospect. The potential closure of the Inverness DSC was identified as an option by SRUC in June, when it […]
Informal agreement reached on new EU animal health law
Members of the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Latvian presidency of the European Council of Ministers have reached an informal agreement on new measures to prevent and deal with animal diseases in Europe. The draft Animal Health Law was proposed by the European Commission in May 2013 (http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/172/20/512.full http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/172/20/513.extract) and has since been […]
Work-related stress and its impact on the veterinary profession
What is stress? How does it impact the veterinary profession specifically? And what can be done to help when you or colleagues experience difficulties? These were issues discussed by Rosie Allister, chair of the Vet Helpline, during a session at the BSAVA congress in Birmingham on April 10. Ms Allister defined stress as the ‘adverse reaction […]
Thinking differently about pedigree dogs
To really make a difference to the health and welfare of pedigree dogs, we need to understand not just how to improve breeding practices, but also why people buy the dogs that they do. This was the argument put forward by Philippa Robinson, a campaigner for canine health and welfare, in a talk entitled ‘The […]
Eradication of peste des petits ruminants ‘within reach’
Eradication of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is ‘not only within reach, but also in our hands’, according to José Graziano da Silva, director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Speaking after 15 countries agreed to collaborate on a global plan to eradicate PPR by 2030, Dr Graziano da Silva said: ‘We have […]