BVA President Sets Out Value Of Vets In Animal And Public Health At Annual London Dinner

Anne McIntosh and Peter Jones The President of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) used his annual London dinner speech last night (Tuesday 26 February) to call on the government, parliamentarians and other stakeholders to see the value in vets. He addressed current issues including the horsemeat scandal, where he called for us to look again at the horse passport system; the BVA’s call for clearer welfare labelling and measures to reduce slaughter without stunning; dog welfare, where he called for everyone to get behind the puppy contract; and pet travel, where he called for an inquiry into illegal imports of puppies for sale. Anne McIntosh, Chair of the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Committee, also addressed guests (which included parliamentarians, veterinary surgeons, and representatives from the agri-food industry, pet industry, welfare charities, research and veterinary education) setting out some of the recent work of the Committee and thanking the BVA for its input. On horsemeat, Peter Jones said: “It goes without saying that everyone has a right to know what’s in the food they eat. The headlines about horsemeat will no doubt continue, but what is already clear is that in a very short space of time the news has undermined confidence in the food chain. And it has called into question the veracity of the horse passport system, which is clearly not fit for purpose. “We need to look ahead now and agree what we need from the passport system and how we can achieve that – for both animal and human health. We would renew our 2009 call for all horses to be microchipped – not just foals – and for a single, national equine database. These measures may not be cheap but what price can we honestly put on regaining confidence in the food chain?” But he cautioned against a reaction that would impact on all livestock and said: “Whether it is wholesale change or adapting the current system, there is no doubt that things do need to change. But we would warn against a kneejerk response across the whole food chain that could unnecessarily impact on the cost of production in the UK. While initial price rises would be borne by the retailers and consumers, as the drive for cheap food inevitably occurs, we fear that farmers could be squeezed financially with consequences for animal health and welfare. Ultimately, we need a system that works and inspires confidence without undue burden.” Mr Jones reiterated the BVA’s call for clearer labelling for animal welfare and action to limit slaughter without stunning. He said: “Our call for better welfare labelling was, of course, heightened during the recent debate over welfare at slaughter and our call for a ban on slaughter without stunning. “And on this issue the time is now. With European legislation on slaughter being implemented into UK law this year it provides us with a golden opportunity to rethink a system that allows meat from slaughter without stunning to enter the mainstream food chain. The fact that consumers are not allowed to know whether their meat is slaughtered in a way which severely compromises the welfare of the animals in question is simply unacceptable. “If an outright ban is not possible, because of political sensitivities, then we want to see the welfare of these animals improved, through post-cut stunning and enhanced enforcement of welfare legislation. And we want to see the demand for these products reduced through clearer labelling that would make it financially unattractive for slaughterhouses to supply meat from non-stun slaughter into the secular market.” On companion animal issues Mr Jones called on all organisations to get behind the AWF/RSPCA puppy contract when it is reviewed later this year. He said: “We are grateful to both Defra and the Efra Committee for their support for the puppy contract. When it was launched last year it gained the support of almost all of the major dog welfare organisations. And when it is reviewed this year we very much hope that we can bring everyone on board. “The key to tackling those ill-advised purchases is education so wouldn’t it be great if we could all sing from the same hymn sheet?” And he called on the Efra Committee to consider holding an inquiry into pet travel. He said: “We also need to look again at the enforcement of pet travel rules as vets across the country are reporting serious concerns about animals of unknown origin coming into their practices. The reported 400% rise in pet travel movements since the change in the rules suggests that people are exploiting the non-commercial routes for commercial gain. “While the changes to the pet travel regulations were shown to keep our disease risk low, we are now witnessing the unintended consequence of large numbers of puppies being brought from eastern Europe to be sold in the UK. And we do have grave concerns for the welfare of those puppies. “Perhaps it’s a seed that we can plant in the minds of the Efra Committee members as they think about the next big topic to tackle.” Summarising, Mr Jones said: “In political terms we’re halfway through this Government and I think the veterinary profession – with a strong lead from the BVA – is bringing real value to the policy-making process and having an impact on the decisions being made. Of course we don’t expect to get everything we want, but we won’t be put off trying and we embrace the opportunities to contribute the scientific and evidence-based veterinary viewpoint.” The President’s speech also covered: veterinary surveillance (including Surveillance 2014); Official Veterinarian (OV) services; bovine TB (including badger culling and vaccination of cattle and badgers); veterinary medicines (including the UK 5-year strategy on antimicrobials); proposed new veterinary schools in the UK; dangerous dogs; microchipping of dogs; and dog welfare.

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