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News & Reports
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Role of local practitioners highlighted at BVA Welsh dinner THE importance of vets and veterinary practices to their local communities was highlighted by Llyr Gruffydd, shadow minister for sustainable communities in the Welsh Assembly, during a speech at the BVA’s Welsh dinner last week. Local vets, he pointed out, were ‘important figures in the landscape’, while local practices were ‘as much a social hub in many respects as they are centres for animal health and welfare’ as well as making ‘a not insignificant contribution to their respective local economies’. Mr Gruffydd was responding to a speech given by Robin Hargreaves, the BVA President, in which he had raised concerns about the potential threat posed to a national network of local practices by the AHVLA’s plans to tender for the services of Official Veterinarians (OVs) and by European suggestions that a veterinarian’s right to prescribe antimicrobials should be ‘decoupled’ from the right to dispense them. The dinner, which was held at City Hall, Cardiff, on July 1, was one of four that the BVA holds in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each year. The events aim to bring issues of relevance to the veterinary profession to the attention of local politicians and key stakeholders in the agrifood and animal welfare sectors. In his speech, Mr Hargreaves said that local vets were best placed to help their clients manage disease on their farms. It was this principle that had underpinned the BVA’s opposition to the AHVLA’s decision to tender for OV services. ‘A system of competitive tendering in England and Wales to drive down the cost of TB testing risks losing the vital local knowledge that OVs currently bring to the role, and their willingness to provide additional services and surveillance,’ he said. Giving a local example of the advantages of the close relationship between vets and farmers, he said that the BVA had been very encouraged to hear of the benefits brought by the Cymorth TB scheme in Wales. Under the scheme, which recently completed its pilot phase, vets in a number of areas of Wales had been providing additional support and advice to farms that had suffered a TB
Robin Hargreaves (right), the BVA President, with Rob Davies (left), the president of the BVA’s Welsh Branch, and Llyr Gruffydd, shadow minister for sustainable communities, energy and food in Wales, at the BVA’s annual Welsh dinner in Cardiff last week
breakdown. ‘This success is in large part due to the strong relationship that exists between local veterinary surgeons and their clients. Farmer compliance in disease management
‘Where bad practice exists it must be stopped, but kneejerk reactions at a European level to remove the right of veterinary surgeons to dispense veterinary medicines could have disastrous consequences for the network of veterinary practices in the UK with no proven benefit for antimicrobial resistance’ and control is key, and the farmer’s local, trusted vet is best placed to deliver additional services and provide a bridge between policymakers and livestock owners,’ he said. An unintended consequence of the OV tendering scheme might well be to undermine the business model of many rural veterinary practices, Mr Hargreaves said. This could reduce the available veterinary manpower and make it impossible for
practices to deliver a 24/7 service in an effective manner. The BVA had therefore been encouraged by indications in Wales that there would be full recognition of the importance of maintaining the local network of veterinary surgeons in the OV tendering exercise. Referring to antimicrobial resistance as ‘one of the greatest challenges to both animal and human health’, Mr Hargreaves explained that the BVA was taking a lead in raising awareness of the need to use antimicrobials responsibly, and was asking vets to make sure that they were playing their part and doing the right things. He believed that the profession was heading in the right direction, but said that it was frustrating to see the ‘blame culture’ that often pointed the finger at the livestock and veterinary communities. ‘Where bad practice exists it must be stopped, but kneejerk reactions at a European level to remove the right of veterinary surgeons to dispense veterinary medicines could have disastrous consequences for the network of veterinary practices in the UK July 12, 2014 | Veterinary Record | 31
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News & Reports with no proven benefit for antimicrobial resistance,’ he said. Turning to bovine TB, Mr Hargreaves emphasised the value of learning from the experiences of other countries in tackling the disease. Different approaches were being taken in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the BVA continued to watch all of them with great interest and aimed to learn from them, he said. The Association believed that bovine TB would never be eradicated in the high incidence areas without using all of the available tools, including the targeted, managed and humane culling of badgers. Lessons had to be learned from the two pilot culls conducted in England, and the BVA was currently awaiting a detailed response from Defra to the recommendations made by the Independent Expert Panel that evaluated the humaneness, effectiveness and safety of the pilot culls carried out in 2013. ‘If it [culling] can be delivered humanely and effectively, we know that the science supports a better outcome for the disease situation in cattle,’ said Mr Hargreaves. He welcomed news of significant reductions in new herd incidents and in the number of cattle slaughtered because of bovine TB in Wales, and paid tribute to the work being done to tighten cattle control measures by Christianne Glossop, the Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, and her team in partnership with industry and the veterinary profession. However, he warned, ‘It is essential that the latest figures are not hijacked by the political lobby that would claim the stats show that badger vaccination is a proven alternative to culling. There is as yet no evidence to suggest that the badger vaccination programme in the Intensive Action Area has had an additional benefit to that experienced across the whole of Wales, and it is still too early to draw any conclusions.’ As well as tendering for the provision of OV services, the AHVLA was also making substantial changes to the arrangements for veterinary surveillance, including closing its regional laboratory at Aberystwyth. Mr Hargreaves said that the BVA had been deeply concerned about the loss of veterinary surveillance capacity in Wales, and he described the development of an idea for a ‘veterinary hub’ at Aberystwyth as an ‘exciting dimension’ in the debate. The Association was grateful to the Welsh Government and the University of Aberystwyth ‘for thinking creatively about how Wales could respond to the loss of laboratory facilities’ and, said Mr Hargreaves, the project had ‘inspired’ members of the BVA’s Welsh Branch. ‘It is still fairly early days, but things are moving quickly, and for the vision of a centre of veterinary excellence in Wales to become a reality we need politicians and stakeholders to get behind the concept now,’ he said. 32 | Veterinary Record | July 12, 2014
Other subjects discussed by Mr Hargreaves included non-stun slaughter, new veterinary schools, dog breeding, compulsory microchipping, fly grazing and the keeping of exotic species as pets.
Centre of veterinary excellence
Plans for a veterinary hub at Aberystwyth were also discussed by Mr Gruffydd. He looked forward to hearing more about the vision for ‘a centre of veterinary excellence in Wales and for all of Wales’. This should be something much more than a provider of laboratory services – ‘a hub for developing programmes to tackle disease, for sharing best practice and for knowledge transfer not only within the veterinary profession but to a wider audience through advice and training. Something that’s much more dynamic.’ On bovine TB, Mr Gruffydd agreed that the success of the Cymorth TB programme was underpinned by the trust that existed between local vets and their clients. He challenged the Welsh Government to ‘show that very same trust in our vets’: ‘If, in a Cymorth TB area, it can be shown that despite following the letter of the law, despite following all advice and best practice in terms of movement restrictions,
biosecurity measures and disease control that farms in their patch are going down to TB time after time after time, those vets should come forward to Welsh Government and ask about the prospect of eradicating TB in wildlife. The Welsh Government should then show the same trust in those vets and act accordingly,’ he said. Turning to the OV tendering exercise, he believed that local vets were best placed to deliver OV services across Wales. They already had a working relationship with, and were trusted by, farmers: ‘We all recognise the passive surveillance and other work carried out while TB testing on farms,’ said Mr Gruffydd. ‘Losing this informal means of stock inspection could undermine the early detection of other diseases.’ Local vets provided added value in their advice to farmers on animal health and biosecurity, and a local presence could also mean a lower carbon footprint and that services were more likely to be available in Welsh. He warned: ‘If this service is taken away from veterinary practices in Wales, or if the income derived from this work is greatly reduced, the resulting loss could lead to fewer vets further away from their clients.’ doi: 10.1136/vr.g4501
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on June 20, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Role of local practitioners highlighted at BVA Welsh dinner Veterinary Record 2014 175: 31-32
doi: 10.1136/vr.g4501 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/175/2/31
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News & Reports
News & Reports bva
Role of local practitioners highlighted at BVA Welsh dinner THE importance of vets and veterinary practices to their local communities was highlighted by Llyr Gruffydd, shadow minister for sustainable communities in the Welsh Assembly, during a speech at the BVA’s Welsh dinner last week. Local vets, he pointed out, were ‘important figures in the landscape’, while local practices were ‘as much a social hub in many respects as they are centres for animal health and welfare’ as well as making ‘a not insignificant contribution to their respective local economies’. Mr Gruffydd was responding to a speech given by Robin Hargreaves, the BVA President, in which he had raised concerns about the potential threat posed to a national network of local practices by the AHVLA’s plans to tender for the services of Official Veterinarians (OVs) and by European suggestions that a veterinarian’s right to prescribe antimicrobials should be ‘decoupled’ from the right to dispense them. The dinner, which was held at City Hall, Cardiff, on July 1, was one of four that the BVA holds in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each year. The events aim to bring issues of relevance to the veterinary profession to the attention of local politicians and key stakeholders in the agrifood and animal welfare sectors. In his speech, Mr Hargreaves said that local vets were best placed to help their clients manage disease on their farms. It was this principle that had underpinned the BVA’s opposition to the AHVLA’s decision to tender for OV services. ‘A system of competitive tendering in England and Wales to drive down the cost of TB testing risks losing the vital local knowledge that OVs currently bring to the role, and their willingness to provide additional services and surveillance,’ he said. Giving a local example of the advantages of the close relationship between vets and farmers, he said that the BVA had been very encouraged to hear of the benefits brought by the Cymorth TB scheme in Wales. Under the scheme, which recently completed its pilot phase, vets in a number of areas of Wales had been providing additional support and advice to farms that had suffered a TB
Robin Hargreaves (right), the BVA President, with Rob Davies (left), the president of the BVA’s Welsh Branch, and Llyr Gruffydd, shadow minister for sustainable communities, energy and food in Wales, at the BVA’s annual Welsh dinner in Cardiff last week
breakdown. ‘This success is in large part due to the strong relationship that exists between local veterinary surgeons and their clients. Farmer compliance in disease management
‘Where bad practice exists it must be stopped, but kneejerk reactions at a European level to remove the right of veterinary surgeons to dispense veterinary medicines could have disastrous consequences for the network of veterinary practices in the UK with no proven benefit for antimicrobial resistance’ and control is key, and the farmer’s local, trusted vet is best placed to deliver additional services and provide a bridge between policymakers and livestock owners,’ he said. An unintended consequence of the OV tendering scheme might well be to undermine the business model of many rural veterinary practices, Mr Hargreaves said. This could reduce the available veterinary manpower and make it impossible for
practices to deliver a 24/7 service in an effective manner. The BVA had therefore been encouraged by indications in Wales that there would be full recognition of the importance of maintaining the local network of veterinary surgeons in the OV tendering exercise. Referring to antimicrobial resistance as ‘one of the greatest challenges to both animal and human health’, Mr Hargreaves explained that the BVA was taking a lead in raising awareness of the need to use antimicrobials responsibly, and was asking vets to make sure that they were playing their part and doing the right things. He believed that the profession was heading in the right direction, but said that it was frustrating to see the ‘blame culture’ that often pointed the finger at the livestock and veterinary communities. ‘Where bad practice exists it must be stopped, but kneejerk reactions at a European level to remove the right of veterinary surgeons to dispense veterinary medicines could have disastrous consequences for the network of veterinary practices in the UK July 12, 2014 | Veterinary Record | 31
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on June 20, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
News & Reports with no proven benefit for antimicrobial resistance,’ he said. Turning to bovine TB, Mr Hargreaves emphasised the value of learning from the experiences of other countries in tackling the disease. Different approaches were being taken in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the BVA continued to watch all of them with great interest and aimed to learn from them, he said. The Association believed that bovine TB would never be eradicated in the high incidence areas without using all of the available tools, including the targeted, managed and humane culling of badgers. Lessons had to be learned from the two pilot culls conducted in England, and the BVA was currently awaiting a detailed response from Defra to the recommendations made by the Independent Expert Panel that evaluated the humaneness, effectiveness and safety of the pilot culls carried out in 2013. ‘If it [culling] can be delivered humanely and effectively, we know that the science supports a better outcome for the disease situation in cattle,’ said Mr Hargreaves. He welcomed news of significant reductions in new herd incidents and in the number of cattle slaughtered because of bovine TB in Wales, and paid tribute to the work being done to tighten cattle control measures by Christianne Glossop, the Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, and her team in partnership with industry and the veterinary profession. However, he warned, ‘It is essential that the latest figures are not hijacked by the political lobby that would claim the stats show that badger vaccination is a proven alternative to culling. There is as yet no evidence to suggest that the badger vaccination programme in the Intensive Action Area has had an additional benefit to that experienced across the whole of Wales, and it is still too early to draw any conclusions.’ As well as tendering for the provision of OV services, the AHVLA was also making substantial changes to the arrangements for veterinary surveillance, including closing its regional laboratory at Aberystwyth. Mr Hargreaves said that the BVA had been deeply concerned about the loss of veterinary surveillance capacity in Wales, and he described the development of an idea for a ‘veterinary hub’ at Aberystwyth as an ‘exciting dimension’ in the debate. The Association was grateful to the Welsh Government and the University of Aberystwyth ‘for thinking creatively about how Wales could respond to the loss of laboratory facilities’ and, said Mr Hargreaves, the project had ‘inspired’ members of the BVA’s Welsh Branch. ‘It is still fairly early days, but things are moving quickly, and for the vision of a centre of veterinary excellence in Wales to become a reality we need politicians and stakeholders to get behind the concept now,’ he said. 32 | Veterinary Record | July 12, 2014
Other subjects discussed by Mr Hargreaves included non-stun slaughter, new veterinary schools, dog breeding, compulsory microchipping, fly grazing and the keeping of exotic species as pets.
Centre of veterinary excellence
Plans for a veterinary hub at Aberystwyth were also discussed by Mr Gruffydd. He looked forward to hearing more about the vision for ‘a centre of veterinary excellence in Wales and for all of Wales’. This should be something much more than a provider of laboratory services – ‘a hub for developing programmes to tackle disease, for sharing best practice and for knowledge transfer not only within the veterinary profession but to a wider audience through advice and training. Something that’s much more dynamic.’ On bovine TB, Mr Gruffydd agreed that the success of the Cymorth TB programme was underpinned by the trust that existed between local vets and their clients. He challenged the Welsh Government to ‘show that very same trust in our vets’: ‘If, in a Cymorth TB area, it can be shown that despite following the letter of the law, despite following all advice and best practice in terms of movement restrictions,
biosecurity measures and disease control that farms in their patch are going down to TB time after time after time, those vets should come forward to Welsh Government and ask about the prospect of eradicating TB in wildlife. The Welsh Government should then show the same trust in those vets and act accordingly,’ he said. Turning to the OV tendering exercise, he believed that local vets were best placed to deliver OV services across Wales. They already had a working relationship with, and were trusted by, farmers: ‘We all recognise the passive surveillance and other work carried out while TB testing on farms,’ said Mr Gruffydd. ‘Losing this informal means of stock inspection could undermine the early detection of other diseases.’ Local vets provided added value in their advice to farmers on animal health and biosecurity, and a local presence could also mean a lower carbon footprint and that services were more likely to be available in Welsh. He warned: ‘If this service is taken away from veterinary practices in Wales, or if the income derived from this work is greatly reduced, the resulting loss could lead to fewer vets further away from their clients.’ doi: 10.1136/vr.g4501
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on June 20, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Role of local practitioners highlighted at BVA Welsh dinner Veterinary Record 2014 175: 31-32
doi: 10.1136/vr.g4501 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/175/2/31
These include:
Email alerting service
Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
