Vets’ key role should be recognised, says Ravetz

AGRI-FOOD: BVA president’s message to politicians ahead of general election

The leader of Britain’s vets has called on politicians and policymakers to recognise the contribution of the profession in achieving Scotland’s £2 billion agri-food output.

Addressing 100 guests at a dinner in the Scottish Parliament last night, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) president Gudrun Ravetz said a strong vet workforce was vital to maintaining high welfare and food safety standards.

“Not a penny of Scotland’s £2bn agri-food outputs could be realised without vets; veterinary teams support half of all Scotland’s households, which own pets; and vets are an integral part of the international scientific community which is being put to good use in Scotland’s world-leading veterinary schools and research institutes,” she said.

Mrs Ravetz pointed out that around 50% of vets registering to practise in the UK come from the rest of the EU and reiterated the BVA’s demand in forthcoming Brexit negotiations that the Government guarantees working rights for non-British EU vets and vet nurses currently working and studying in the UK at the existing level, and with no time limit.

She pointed out that last year’s avian influenza outbreak, which hit a farm near Dunfermline, and others throughout Britain, reinforced the need for a robust surveillance system, underpinned by vets’ frontline presence, to protect the health of livestock.

And while she praised some aspects of Scottish Government policy, she said the BVA would like to see the tripartite partnership of Government, vets and farmers continue, through the development of control measures for Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) and Johne’s disease.

However, Mrs Ravetz said she was “extremely disappointed” at the Government’s proposed controls around dogs’ electronic training collars and the tail docking legislation.

“Without an outright ban on both of these issues, we have grave concerns over how enforceability will work – and the toll they will take on overall dog welfare,” she said.

Mrs Ravetz said she was concerned about veterinary recruitment and retention.

“It is a major challenge throughout rural Scotland, and the Government’s financial support for the Highlands and Islands Veterinary Services Scheme is invaluable in enabling the provision of vital veterinary services in these hard to reach places,” she said.

She also welcomed initiatives such as the Government-backed National Rural Mental Health Forum.

The British Veterinary Association president Gudrun Ravetz said a strong workforce of vets was vital for animal health and food safety standards.