BVA President Nicky Paull's Speech At BVA Congress This Weekend
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28th September, 2009 00h00
BVA President Nicky Paull outlines her achievements over the past 12 months in her final speech as BVA President.
In the attached speech she talks about her theme for the year, communication, as well as touching on
- the veterinary union issue
- pet travel
- responsibility and cost sharing
- pedigree dog breeding
- links with European and overseas associations and BVA involvement in Europe
What a difference a year makes! This time last year I was standing before you at Congress about to make a leap that felt like jumping out of an aeroplane – you just hope that your parachute will open! It was a daunting task taking on the role of BVA President – not for the feint hearted. As I started my presidential year it suddenly hit me that this had the potential to go horribly wrong. Well, once you’ve said something live on the BBC you can’t take it back can you?
Achievements this year are in very much due to the fantastic support I’ve received from colleagues throughout the BVA, the profession as a whole, and in particular my fellow officers and all of the permanent staff at BVA HQ. It’s the team approach to everything the BVA does that is the key to our success.
My theme for the year has been communication. It’s perhaps an over-used word and one that can be as wide or narrow as you want it to be. My aim was to make it as wide as possible and to improve the BVA’s communication in every way we could – with politicians, the media, the public, industry, and importantly with our members and divisions.
In a highly technological world the methods we use to communicate are changing dramatically. The BVA has embraced this new technology and our website and eNews communications allow us to disseminate news accurately and immediately. They are fantastic resources, but at the end of the day there is nothing like getting out there and meeting people face to face. And so, although tight budgets this year have curtailed any foreign travel, I have really enjoyed trying to meet up with as many members of the profession as possible. Visits have included the vet schools, divisional dinners and congresses; meeting charities, industry representatives, and politicians; sitting on working groups, industry groups, and core groups. And at every one of these meetings I was proud to be representing the BVA – that Presidential label makes you walk that little bit taller.
I have to confess though at times that I felt a bit like a travelling salesman – living out of a suitcase, selling the benefits of the BVA to anyone who would sit still long enough to listen – but more often than not I felt the immense responsibility of representing the veterinary profession in the positive light it fully deserves.
The key to communication is that it is a two way process and I think the most important aspect of my visits and meetings was that I attended with open ears and an open mind. Listening to the hopes and fears of many in the profession was a constant reminder for me of the need for the BVA to keep striving to provide the best services it can to the largest number of vets it can.
You can’t help but have noticed the debate about a veterinary union. Those of you who read the veterinary press will see that I’ve made my views on the subject very clear, but that doesn’t mean that we stop listening to the calls to make things better. The BVA’s Members’ Services Group has heard loud and clear the message that employed vets, at times, need extra support and so MSG is currently working on services that will begin to fill that gap.
I’m delighted to report that over the year we have continued to grow our membership – a sign that vets do recognise the importance of a professional association in their career progression. As the recession continues to bite we need to keep up the momentum of membership growth and that’s why we’ve taken the decision to freeze our membership prices for 2010 – to help our members continue to get the best of the BVA in this difficult economic climate.
We have also worked hard to ensure it is our members thoughts and concerns that are clearly expressed when we talk to the Government. The BVA has spent a long time building up relations with Government departments and the devolved administrations to make sure we are consulted on the policy changes that matter to us, our clients and the animals we care for. But how do we make sure we are sending back to Government the right messages on behalf of the profession?
This is certainly where the BVA divisions come in. The BVA’s divisions all play a significant role in shaping our consultation responses. Our policy committees look to them for specialist advice and the expertise we need. Meanwhile, our committee system encourages members to take an active role in policy development and I was very encouraged by the high number of applications for this year’s committee elections. There are so often grumbles about political apathy but I was delighted to see so much interest from BVA members in putting their names forward for the various standing committees.
To truly represent the profession and provide that one united voice that we must have, we need to constantly look to other ways to improve the our consultation process with our individual members. BVA needs to work to continue to ensure we can truly represent the opinions of the vets who support us with their subscriptions.
Some of that work will be taken forward by the Council Planning Group which is tasked with ensuring BVA Council is fully able to represent members. Over the past year we’ve taken a long hard look at Council and taken stock of how we operate. It has been a useful exercise, but now it must progress and I look forward to being a part of that process.
Another improvement for our members is the Veterinary Record’s move to the BMJ Group. BVA Publications have joined a team full of fresh ideas to make the Vet Record even more accessible and invaluable to its readers. It is early days in this new partnership but the enthusiasm of both the Vet Record team and the BMJ themselves leaves me full of confidence that the Record and In Practice will now go on from strength to strength.
Today I would really like to take this opportunity to thank the BVA’s specialist and territorial divisions for all the support I have received from them over the year, as well as the hospitality I have received at their Congresses and other events that I have been invited to. It’s true that if the BVA doesn’t know the answer, we will know someone who does. When the pandemic H1N1 virus struck (that’s swine flu to the rest of the world) we were able to work alongside the Pig Veterinary Society to provide the veterinary perspective and expert advice at a time when the media and public were clamouring for answers. Similarly, when the Government consulted on the new welfare codes for racing greyhounds, the BVA’s Ethics and Welfare Group was able to meet with the Society of Greyhound Veterinarians and endorse the SGV’s consultation response.
And most recently, the BVA and BSAVA have teamed up to launch the pet travel poster for veterinary practices to display, encouraging pet owners to protect their animals against diseases when travelling abroad. These are all great examples of the BVA and its divisions working together to ensure the profession speaks with one clear voice – a vital communication tool in any lobbying.
On the public affairs front the BVA continues to have excellent relationships with our honorary associates in Parliament and we have held two successful briefing events in Westminster in November and June. The Officers have also met with Ministers and the front bench teams of both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. With a general election looming we have sought to influence their thinking on some key major issues.
One area that remains up in the air is the future of responsibility and cost sharing. In our response to the Government’s consultation we made it very clear that we have grave concerns about plans for animal health policies to sit separately from animal welfare. I am pleased that Bill Reilly has taken up a position on the Advisory Group to make the arguments for a system that understands the inextricable link between health and welfare, as well as the need for clear lines of command in a disease outbreak situation and the need to ensure a significant role for the Chief Veterinary Officer.
It is essential that BVA continues to work behind Bill to make sure we get the opinions of the veterinary profession on the table.
As you know, the theme of Congress this year is Together Forever? – in part asking what impact devolution has had on animal health and welfare policies. Major policy decisions are now being taken and implemented by the devolved administrations in different ways across the UK. Take TB for example. Here you have four completely different approaches: a vaccination programme in England, an application for TB-free status in Scotland and a targeted badger cull in Wales. Meanwhile Northern Ireland looks for a joined-up approach across its border with Ireland.
It is for this reason that the BVA has sought to step up its lobbying activities in each region. There is an ongoing need to strengthen the veterinary voice through our branches in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Throughout the year we have had meetings with each of the CVOs as well as successful meetings bringing together all of those with an interest in veterinary and animal policy.
Again – getting people round a table to talk face to face can have a significant impact.
This year we also held the first London dinner and were delighted to secure the Secretary of State, Hilary Benn, as the keynote speaker. Although politicians have a tendency to tell you what you want to hear at these events, it gave us a fantastic opportunity to talk directly to Mr Benn about a wide range of issues and concerns for the profession. This has added to the dinners that we host in each of the devolved areas aimed specifically at political lobbying with each of the devolved governments.
Like many of you here, as a vet who is active in the profession I tend to wear many hats. I think one of the hats I’ve been most proud of this year is my role as a trustee of the BVA’s charity the BVA Animal Welfare Foundation. The AWF mantra is to improve the welfare of all animals through science, education and debate. Although AWF doesn’t have a huge profile (but that is something AWF is working to amend) its work is vitally important in bringing together experts in animal welfare, including through the AWF discussion forums.
Last year pedigree dog breeding hit the headlines with the airing of Pedigree Dogs Exposed on the BBC. But months before the TV programme the AWF discussion forum was already on the case. It was right, therefore, that the AWF should take the lead in bringing together a number of interested organisations from both sides of the debate. I can assure you this was no mean feat but we were able to get the Kennel Club, RSPCA, Dog’s Trust and others to begin a dialogue looking at how we can actively work together to improve the health and welfare of dogs. And we will continue to try to get all the interested parties not just talking but actually acting to improve the lot of our canine friends.
The BVA has also been involved in giving evidence to the APGAW and Bateson reviews of dog breeding and we look forward to seeing the conclusions of these reports, as well as getting involved in future action to reduce suffering for all dogs, not just pedigrees.
In house the BVA/Kennel Club Canine Health Schemes are a practical way for the profession to make a difference and promote sound choices in breeding. The CHS was re-launched this year and I am delighted to report that work is well underway to extend the Schemes to include a new heart scheme and also crucially a screen for syringomyelia. I would encourage all BVA members to promote the Schemes to clients and colleagues.
I must say that I’ve been pretty lucky in terms of the dreaded exotic disease outbreaks in the livestock sector and have not had my presidential year dominated by the headlines in the way that my predecessors have. Apart from the swine flu and the recent E.coli outbreak, I caught the tail end of the bluetongue scare after the first case was confirmed in the UK in September 2007. As an active member of the Joint Action Against Bluetongue campaign (JAB) many of my early presidential speeches focused on promoting the ‘don’t hesitate, vaccinate’ message. I’m proud to say that vets have played a vital role in encouraging their clients to take up vaccinations for livestock and so far we have been rewarded with no recent outbreaks of the disease. But we must never become complacent on bluetongue or any other disease.
The JAB campaign was a great example of how the profession can work with the livestock industry to promote positive messages and our relationship with the NFU and others continues to provide us with new avenues to communicate our messages on animal health and welfare. Like us, the NFU have access to a global network of people concerned with the health of animals and we should be working together more to strengthen those messages on the many different aspects of disease control.
The BVA has continued to be a leading voice in international veterinary circles. During the past year the BVA’s Overseas Group officially became a Standing Committee and now reports into Council. The work of the Overseas Group in reaching out to all four corners of the earth, spreading veterinary expertise, encouraging education and providing resources in the developing world was already well established and it continues to go from strength to strength.
Our links with the World, Commonwealth, and European Veterinary Associations, and the Veterinary Associations of other nations remain strong and I’m delighted to welcome colleagues from America, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the Commonwealth Veterinary Association here this weekend.
In Europe our close ties with the FVE have kept us in the loop on vital issues such as pet travel, which we heard much about in yesterday’s pets and politics session. Constant contact with FVE also gives us a heads up to legislation in the EU pipeline. Over recent years we have learned that getting to the legislators at the planning stage is key to getting the laws we want and the laws we can support.
Going back to the theme of communication I rounded off my year nicely with a visit to the SPVS Final Year Seminar in Lancaster. It’s an event that I care deeply about and have been involved in organising it in the past. It’s an exhausting few days but the excitement and enthusiasm of the students as they embark on the start of their careers reminds me of why I wanted to be a vet. My only problem as the years go on is trying to keep up with them for 4 days. It seems to take longer to recover from the event as each year passes. And I cannot let this opportunity pass to mention my last representative function as BVA President was to join the BVA’s Veterinary Golf Association at a dinner in Cornwall. J O L King, the dean at Liverpool when I started there in 1974, told us all on our first day at college that to survive the hard work of the veterinary profession you need to play hard and I am delighted to say that the veterinary golfers were living up to his mantra.
It is with mixed feelings that I hand on the baton to Bill. Pride in what the BVA has achieved in the last 12 months; knowing that I will miss that little warm feeling at meetings when they go round the table asking for introductions and being able to say – I amNicky Paull, President of BVA; but also a feeling of slight relief that the constant pressure of knowing everything you say is on someone else’s behalf will start to ease.
Looking forward to the coming year I couldn’t think of safer pair of hands to leave you in than Bill’s. His knowledge and experience speak for themselves and he has the respect of those inside and outside the profession. I am really looking forward to continue working hard for BVA under Bill’s leadership.
As said in my inaugural speech last year it’s always difficult to say goodbye to colleagues and I shall certainly miss Nick Blayney. Nick and I cut our political teeth together during the Competition Commission and I know sitting with him in front of the VSA Efracom enquiry it felt like a bit of déjà vu. I am delighted though that Nick will continue working on BVA’s behalf in Europe through FVE.
As one door shuts another one opens and we welcome Harvey Locke to the Officer Team. I know Harvey will make an excellent addition to the team and it’s always good to keep the balance strongly in favour of Liverpool graduates!! Having had 3 Liverpool graduates in a row Bill is bucking the trend but Harvey will get us all back firmly on the Liverpool track.
I am deeply honoured to have worn the Presidential chain of office for the past twelve months and I look forward to working hard as Past President with the rest of the BVA team to ensure another prosperous year for the BVA. Thank you.
Mrs Nicky Paull BVSc MRCVS
September 2009
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