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Northern Ireland may be declared Brucellosis-free
cow
Brucellosis is a highly contagious cattle disease, characterised by abortions.
Last confirmed case of Brucellosis was three years ago

It has now been three years since the last confirmed case of Brucellosis in Northern Ireland, meaning the province can apply for officially brucellosis free (OBF) status.

Achieving this status would allow the government to reduce Brucellosis control measures, including on-farm testing and pre-movement testing - significantly reducing costs for farmers.

Brucellosis is a highly contagious cattle disease, characterised by abortions. It can pass from cattle to humans, causing serious health consequences.

Current testing rules are estimated to cost the taxpayer £8 million per year and farmers £7 million per year.

Commenting on the news, the president of the BVA's Northern Ireland branch, Simon Doherty, said it represents a "milestone" for vets and farmers.

Both he and the BVA's president John Blackwell said the news is a testament to the combined efforts of vets, farmers and government.

"[This] clearly demonstrates what can be achieved by vets, farmers and government working in partnership to tackle what is a serious disease, which can of course be transmitted to humans," Mr Blackwell said in a statement.

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer is beginning the formal process of applying to the EU Commission for OBF status. Agriculture minister Michelle O'Neill said it is hoped the status will be granted later this year.

However, she warned that now is not the time for complacency: "I would remind farmers of the importance of complying with the current testing requirements," she said.

"It is also vital to continue to report all abortions and any suspicion of the disease so that veterinary service staff can follow up with the necessary investigations."

Cattle farmers and industry representatives are urged to take part in a consultation - launching on March 6 - on the proposals to reduce Brucellosis controls.

If Northern Ireland is declared OBF, the department of agriculture and rural development (DARD) will have to implement suitable monitoring measures for at least five years.

View the consultation document here: http://www.dardni.gov.uk/index/consultations.htm

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RCVS Knowledge appoints Veterinary Evidence editor-in-chief

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has welcomed Professor Peter Cockcroft as editor-in-chief for Veterinary Evidence.

A world-renowned expert in evidence-based veterinary medicine, Prof Cockcroft will lead the strategic development and editorial quality of the open-access journal. He was previously in the role from 2017-2020.

Katie Mantell, CEO of RCVS Knowledge, said: "We are excited about the extensive knowledge of evidence-based veterinary medicine and clinical veterinary research that Peter brings, and we look forward to working with him over this next phase of the journal's development." 

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News Shorts
CVS Group hit by cyber attack

CVS Group, which owns more than 450 veterinary practices in the UK, has been hit by a cyber attack.

In a statement, the group said the incident involved unauthorised external access to a limited number of its IT systems. As soon as the attack was discovered, the group took its IT systems temporarily offline, causing 'considerable operational disruption'.

It has warned that the security steps taken and ongoing plans to move its operational systems and IT infrastructure to the Cloud are likely to have an ongoing impact over a number of weeks.

Due to the risk that personal information was accessed, CVS has informed the Information Commissioner's Office. The company is working with third party consultants to investigate the incident.