Vets hail list reinstatement as huge win for animal welfare

Vets have welcomed the Home Office’s announcement that the profession will reinstated on the Shortage Occupation List as a “huge win for animal welfare and a resounding vote of confidence in the veterinary community”.

The move – confirmed by Sajid Javid before he moved to the Treasury follows a sustained campaign by the profession to safeguard against a future crisis in workforce capacity and comes after the Migration Advisory Committee( mac) recommended vets be reinstated on the list, the profession having been removed in 2011.

Around 95 per cent of the vets carrying out critical public health work and animal welfare monitoring in abattoirs hail from overseas, predominantly the EU. Vet groups had also raised concerns that demand for veterinary certification and health testing services could increase dramatically in the event of a no deal Brexit, placing even greater pressure on an already overloaded workforce.

“This is a huge win for animal welfare and a resounding vote of confidence in the veterinary community and the multiple benefits it realises across the UK,” said Simon Doherty, president of the British Veterinary Association who said the move would make it easier to recruit into the profession.

Following Boris Johnson’s Downing Street pledge to do more to promote the welfare of animals, Niall Connell, president of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons added:

“Having veterinary surgeons on the Shortage Occupation List will help in our mission to uphold animal health and welfare and ensure that vital veterinary work can continue to get done.