As you are probably aware, the UK and the European Union have now agreed an extension to the Brexit deadline until 31 January 2020. This means that the UK will not be leaving the EU on Thursday 31st October 2019.   It is, however, possible that the UK could leave the EU before 31 January if the UK parliament agrees the Withdrawal Bill, and so leave with an agreed deal in place.   During the extension period up to 31 January, you should continue to move equines as you do now to the EU, using all the current processes and systems in place. There will be no additional checks taking place during this time either in the UK or the EU.   However, it is important that you continue to be aware of what it is that you need to do to get ready for all potential Brexit scenarios during this period.   All of the relevant guidance will remain on GOV.UK and we will continue to engage with you at regular intervals over the next couple of months to ensure you can stay up to date with what you need t ...

New VARSS report confirms that UK sales of all veterinary antibiotics have halved over the past four years with sales of horse-only antibiotics falling by 4.3 tonnes (64%) since 2017 and 13.6 tonnes (85%) since 2014.

Sales of veterinary antibiotics have reduced by 49% in just four years between 2014 – 2018, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) confirmed today.

The reduction demonstrates the strong and committed approach taken by the UK’s food, farming and veterinary sectors to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The figure comes from the annual Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance Sales and Surveillance (UK-VARSS) report published today. It builds on reductions previously published by past VARSS reports.

Read more - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/veterinary-antimicrobial-resistance-and-sales-surveillance

Insights gained from this year’s National Equine Forum (NEF) have been used to shape the programme for the forthcoming event on Thursday 5 March 2020, to give the equestrian industry the topics they most want to hear about. This year the event organisers have used feedback from delegates, together with social media activity, live stream and podcast views to identify what the equestrian industry particularly like. Programme Convener Georgina Crossman said: “From feedback received and from what you have watched via our online streaming we are going to give you more of the same in terms of research-led presentations.” To date Dr Rachel Murray’s 2019 presentation on what cardiovascular fitness, core stability and muscle development of the horse has received more than 5,400 views on the NEF YouTube channel. In 2018 the NEF website details on Dr Sue Dyson’s Landmark pilot study on the effects of rider weight on equine performance received around 3,500 unique page visits as well as i ...

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) popular online leadership programme is now accepting sign-ups for the next round of the course which begins in November. The Edward Jenner Leadership Course for Veterinary Professionals, which was developed in conjunction with the NHS Leadership Academy and is hosted by the FutureLearn online learning platform, starts on Monday 18 November but those who are interested can register now. The course is open to all members of the veterinary team, including veterinary and veterinary nursing students, with the first two courses comprising the programme, which are free to access, can be worth up to 48 hours of continuing professional development. The full programme costs £77 and includes an assessment leading to an NHS Leadership Academy Award in Leadership Foundations. Since its launch last year, when the first iteration of the programme was run, there have been almost 7,000 enrolments across the programme’s modules, with participants drawn from over ...

The Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has agreed to an urgent request from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to prepare supplementary guidance on certification for veterinary surgeons in face of the ‘extraordinary’ circumstances that might be seen if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. The supplementary guidance would relate specifically to the veterinary export health certification of groupage consignments, ie those which contain multiple low-risk food product types in a single consignment, for export to, or transit through, the EU. Currently, Export Health Certificates (EHC) are not required for such consignments; however, in the event of a no-deal EU Exit, the UK would assume third-country status and be required to develop a scheme to enable the substantial volume of these product export/transit arrangements to continue. Such low-risk products would include products of animal origin for human consumption, eg composite products like pizzas and quiches ...

BEVA has developed a one-stop shop for horse vets to help them navigate welfare cases with confidence. Launched this month the practical Welfare Case Toolkit has been developed in conjunction with the RSPCA and includes a welfare workflow and quick download guides and welfare case forms. It can be accessed here . Being called out to a welfare case to assess immediate veterinary needs is part of an ambulatory vet’s role and they may also be required to act as a witness. “Welfare assessments can sometimes be intimidating and it’s natural to feel vulnerable, particularly when circumstances are difficult”, said Merry Smith, BEVA council member who led the project on behalf of BEVA. “Our new Welfare Case Toolkit gives you access to the information and resources, even when you are on the road, to support you in dealing with a welfare case”. The interactive Welfare Workflow provides a step-by-step guide to what happens when a vet is called upon to provide an opinion on the heal ...

I was 16 years qualified, with 8 years of full-time equine work and a further 6 years of part time and locum equine work under my belt. I was doing some intermittent weekend on call cover for a local practice to top up the bank balance. It was a sunny Saturday in a hot, dry summer and I was just enjoying the end of the ladies Wimbledon final when the phone went - would I accept a call from the RSPCA to visit multiple thin, dehydrated horses and 1 dead? Errrrmmmmmm... Do I have a choice?! I’m on call and you’ve rung me?! Checked with the second on call vet and the senior partner that the practice was OK with this and agreed, asking if IV fluids or anything in particular would be required- ‘just a nurse or another pair of hands- there’s no-one to hold them’ was the reply. I consoled myself with the thought that it was probably a field of TB types that were a bit lean in their summer coats and the concerned member of the public and RSPCA officer were just so used to seeing fat co ...

All veterinary medicines authorised for use in the UK will continue to be authorised after Brexit and can remain on the market for sale and supply in their existing packaging. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has well established mechanisms for dealing with supply issues that arise from time-to-time and works closely with the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) and its memberships to inform robust intelligence-led warning systems to detect potential problems at the earliest point possible. In order to address supply issue concerns, the VMD has enhanced its emergency response plan to support the continued supply of veterinary medicines – whatever the cause. The plan includes several levels of response and cuts across government as necessary, depending on the severity of the issue, to form a comprehensive resolution. Veterinary medicines manufacturers and suppliers have also prepared by considering alternative logistics options, establishing appropriate stock levels and working to see tha ...

BEVA are pleased to announce this year’s award winners, honouring outstanding contributions to the equine veterinary field. We congratulate the below for their insightful and influential research.   The Sam Hignett Award is given each year at BEVA Congress for the best clinical research presentation from general equine practice. This year the award has been given to Callum Haseler for his abstract entitled “Does Intra-Articular Triamcinolone Treatment Increase the Incidence of Acute Laminitis”. Callum will receive a free ticket to AAEP 2020 taking place in Las Vegas.   This year’s Voorjaarsdagen Award is presented to Anna Johnston for her abstract “Using Time-Series Analysis to Enhance Musculoskeletal Injury Surveillance in Thoroughbred Racehorses”, as her prize she will receive free entry to Voorjaarsdagen Congress 2020 where she will have the opportunity to present this abstract once again. The Voorjaarsdagen and BEVA award marks the close relationship bet ...