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RSPCA makes changes following Wooler Review
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RSPCA has agreed to pass cases involving traditional hunts to the police and CPS.
Policy introduced for dealing with traditional hunts
 
The RSPCA has revealed it will change the way it deals with some prosecutions, following the advice of an independent review of its activities.

Stephen Wooler, former chief inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), published his review of the RSPCA's prosecutions activities last October.

Mr Wooler was asked by the RSPCA to complete the review following controversy over some of its decisions, most notably for its private prosecution of the Heythrop Hunt in 2012, at a cost of £326,000.

The charity's trustees have agreed to pass evidence involving traditional hunts to the police so that they can complete the investigation, before handing it to the CPS. The charity will still carry out an initial investigation to determine the quality of the evidence.

Trustees nonetheless reserved the right to complete investigations and deal with any prosecutions themselves, if the police and CPS do not take the matter up.

This follows Mr Wooler's recommendation that the charity put in place a clear policy for dealing with cases against traditional hunts.

“We will still investigate other individuals for alleged breaches of the Hunting Act, and we have successfully used the Act previously to prosecute offenders with no hunt connections who have used their dogs to torture and terrorise wild animals," explained David Bowles, the charity's assistant director of external affairs.

During the same RSPCA Council meeting, trustees also agreed to introduce a new process for dealing with cases involving animal sanctuaries; prosecution decisions will be reviewed internally by the head of prosecutions and the chief legal officer before proceedings are begun.

The RSPCA will continue to investigate farm animal cases, including those involving members of the its assured scheme, however, cases involving serious welfare breaches may be referred to Trading Standards or Animal Health.

Again, if they decline to take the matter up, the RSPCA reserves the right to institute proceedings itself.

RSPCA says these changes will affect a small minority of cases.

The Wooler Review makes a total of 33 recommendations and advises the charity to reposition its role in law enforcement, bringing it into line with modern expectations of transparency and accountability.

It continues to work through Mr Wooler's remaining recommendations. A full progress report is expected in due course.

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.