Mapping A Brighter Future For Vets In The Food Chain - VDC Publishes Report
12 years ago
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The multi-stakeholder Veterinary Development Council (VDC) today publishes its report setting out practical ways to help the veterinary profession meet the demands of the UK food sector in the future.
The VDC was established in January 2011 following a recommendation in Professor Lowe’s report ‘Unlocking Potential’ in 2009 that a development council be set up to guide the long-term development of veterinary services. The Council brought together representatives from across the whole food supply chain for the first time: veterinary surgeons, regulators, government, producers, processors, retailers, the veterinary schools, and the veterinary pharmaceutical industry.
The VDC identified key areas to address and established three Working Groups to carry out detailed work and report to the Council focusing on: The Role of the Vet-led Team, Business Models, and Food Industry Engagement.
Amongst its eleven key recommendations, the VDC calls for the following:1188 views
Posted
4th May, 2012 16h27
- More detailed consultation with the veterinary profession to assess the appetite for allowing technicians to undertake specified veterinary service activities (such as blood sampling, disbudding and tuberculin testing) under veterinary direction, and an exploration of the regulatory and legislative requirements for any desired changes (recommendations i-iii);
- Increased business education in UK veterinary schools and a structured programme of training, consultancy and mentoring to encourage veterinary practices to think strategically about how their businesses operate, to consider whether changing how they ‘do business’ would be beneficial and to share good practice examples of successful innovations (recommendations iv-vi);
- Veterinary schools should encourage early and continued recognition amongst veterinary students of the importance of the role of the vet in supplying high quality, safe and nutritious food. The food and farming industries, the veterinary profession and veterinary education/training establishments should explore opportunities for a food supply chain career development path for veterinary graduates (recommendations viii and x);
- Working with industry, the Government should actively consider animal health and welfare when deciding detailed priorities for the future programme to be funded under the Rural Development Regulation, including consideration of a Farm Animal (Health and) Welfare Stewardship Programme (recommendation xi).
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