Annual BVA Welsh Dinner 2008 - President's Speech
16 years ago
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19th June, 2008 00h00
Minister, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the annual BVA Welsh Dinner. A particularly warm welcome to the Minister, Elin Jones, for finding time in her busy schedule to join us this evening and our thanks also to the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) for Wales, Christianne Glossop and her team for their help in making the arrangements.
Standing as we are on devolved soil I can honestly admit to a degree of envy for those of you in farm practice that are working upsides a Defra who are speaking with a government who appear more in tune with the farming industry than Westminster currently is. We were delighted with the news of your three-plank TB eradication programme, a 'One Wales' commitment and would congratulate you Minister for your courage in using the word "eradicate". The involvement of our members of the TB Eradication Programme Board and the Technical Advisory Group provides solid evidence of collaborative working, not least since it is practising vets and Animal Health who will hold many of the keys to success. It also shows a real commitment to vigorous progress, albeit recognising the long road ahead. Having recently read a book of reminisces of a Cornish Vet in the early sixties I came across a paragraph celebrating the eradication of TB in 1961 - if only! Understandably, your colleagues across Offa's Dyke will be supporting and watching your progress closely. Whether Westminster will accept the inevitable and collaborate with you remains to be seen but BVA for its part will continue to actively lobby for the holistic eradication of bTB from both cattle and wildlife populations. While this has to be the ultimate aim, initial steps need to be taken immediately to control the spread of infection both in Wales and England, - it is clearly still out of control. And coming as I do from an area in South West England where TB infection is rampant I assure you it is not just herds with poor biosecurity and poor farming practices that are affected - all farms are at risk and we see it in closed herds, high welfare herds and organic systems as well. Sadly good farming practices alone are not sufficient to control the spread of this disease.
But it is not just the old worry of TB that is focusing BVA's mind at this moment in time – helping our farmers fight against Bluetongue and assisting Defra and the Devolved Administrations in their efforts to control this new emerging problem; advising Defra of informed veterinary opinion regarding responsibility and cost sharing – and that means shared cost shared with real responsibility not just paying lip service to it; and the future of veterinary services in rural areas - highly relevant in parts of rural Wales. Such issues are high on our agenda.
As we all know only too well, the last few months have been a particularly busy time as the end of the vector-free period approached bringing with it the threat of more cases of Bluetongue. BTv8 in Northern Europe has shown to be devastating in its second season not only for animal health but they have seen dreadful welfare problems last summer in mainland Europe. BVA was delighted to join with organisations from across the livestock sector to launch the Joint campaign Against Bluetongue (JAB).  I cannot miss this opportunity to thank everyone involved - the co-operation and shared sense of purpose demonstrated by all involved with JAB has been amazing. For our own part, BVA has been in overdrive since March in trying to ensure that the profession was fully up to speed in advance of the arrival of the vaccine. Practising vets have been the corner stone of the bluetongue vaccination programme, with responsibility for vaccine delivery, proper usage and monitoring for efficacy, Now that the vaccine is here - and indeed you started your own vaccination programme in south east Wales earlier this month - we need to stand united in our aim of achieving the mass vaccination of Bluetongue susceptible animals, including goats and camelids, highlighted by the JAB catchphrase 'Don't hesitate, vaccinate',
If Bluetongue were not enough, we also had to contend last year with Foot and Mouth Disease. Vets on the ground, not least here in Wales, reported a significant improvement in communication during this outbreak compared with the last, albeit that vets with cross border practices found the differences in arrangements between England and Wales rather confusing. With Great Britain being a single epidemiological unit, the importance of close contact and co-operation between Defra and the Devolved Administrations is vital. We have now seen the publication of Dr Iain Anderson's review - as well as Sir Bill Callaghan's review that has seen responsibility for the regulation of animal pathogens being transferred to the Health and Safety Executive. Added to those Sir John Beringer's review of the governance, funding and risk management of the Institute for Animal Health has reported - and I appreciate how you here in Wales must have welcomed his highlighting of the urgent importance of addressing devolution issues concerning animal health and concordats as well as funding arrangements. I would also congratulate you on not only having kept the disease out of Wales but also having kept the needs of your farmers to the forefront not least with the light lamb welfare scheme. This was managed, based on veterinary advice, to avoid conflict with the disease control effort - a clear sign that common sense based on sound science-based risk assessments can work. In Wales, your engagement with the industry and appreciation of the role of animals in rural communities, as well as wider society is very obvious. We are therefore fully supportive of another of your 'One Wales' animal health-related commitments, namely seeking a derogation for the burial of fallen stock.
Another ongoing preoccupation and indeed concern for BVA is the Local Veterinary Inspector review. This remains unresolved with the fees paid derisory. The loss of Brucella testing has made TB testing non-viable in many areas and, in Scotland at least, there is an air of militancy, with vets in the Highlands & Islands threatening, from October 2008, to either cease TB testing or to be very selective in the ones carried out. The Vets and Veterinary Services team were able to witness first hand that some vets are making less than the minimum wage to undertake testing and this is clearly no longer acceptable. If central government can, as it has through the Competition Commission enquiry, determine that the profession should not subsidise services from the sale of medicines then surely it cannot expect vets to subsidise the routine testing of livestock from other services within their practices - even for reasons of human health. A stalemate is about to be reached unless there is vastly improved dialogue between Animal Health and the profession - not the easiest of starts for a new Chief Executive!
For too long though BVA has been seen as a body with its focus only on farm animal issues. It is the nature of our relationship with the farming industry and government that inevitably it is these items that make the headline news. But with over 85% of our members in companion animal practice we are acutely aware of our role in this area. Our highly proactive companion animal policy group is working on such issues as the potential loss of our rabies control derogation, the long awaited animal welfare codes, greyhound welfare, use of electric shock collars for training, a review of the Dangerous Dogs Act and MRSA issues to name but a few. It is not, as far as I am aware, currently looking at puppy farming which, I see, is one of your priorities The BVA has, over many years, campaigned against this practice and I have no doubt that, our policy group would be only too happy to help.
Your announcement, Minister, that the Welsh Assembly Government had allocated £700,000, for 2008/09, to local authorities, specifically targeted for the regulation of companion animal welfare in line with the Animal Welfare Act 2006, was very welcome - particularly when coupled with a further £200,000 available via grants for special projects These include such issues as improving welfare in animal sanctuaries and livery yards. The BVA, which is already represented on the Animal Welfare Network for Wales, has no doubt that vets will want to play an active part, not only in the proposed local or regional animal welfare forums, but also in helping you to promote an increased understanding of the welfare responsibilities of both pet owners and keepers of animals.
For everything BVA does it is imperative in my eyes that we work alongside the devolved governments and for that we need strong veterinary representation from all the devolved countries. We are therefore delighted to have been able to provide a BVA representative, Anton Lowe, to the Wales Animal Health and Welfare Strategy Steering Group. While not wishing to bore you with 'house-keeping issues' we are currently undergoing a review of representation on BVA Council with a view to ensuring, amongst other things, that the voice of our Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh divisions is heard loud and clear.
The BVA, I am delighted to say, has continued to have excellent working relations with your Chief Veterinary Officer and her staff as well as many others involved in animal health and welfare. These links are vitally important when determining future strategy and actions in terms of veterinary disease control, as is attested by the efficiency of veterinary services throughout Wales.
Minister, thank you again for joining us this evening, it is very much appreciated. Members of the BVA if you will be upstanding, I would like to propose a toast to our guests.
Thank you.
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