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Further action needed on campylobacter, consumers say
raw chicken
Three quarters of consumers  thought retailers should tell customers what proportion of chickens have the highest level of contamination.
FSA survey shows consumers want the industry to do more

Two thirds of consumers think the industry should continue to tackle campylobacter on chickens beyond the current target, according to a survey by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Campylobacter is the biggest cause of food poisoning in the UK, causing around 280,000 cases a year.

Since 2014, the FSA has been sampling fresh whole chilled chickens from major retailers and independent shops. Earlier this year, FSA revealed the percentage of chickens with the highest level of contamination had fallen from 19 per cent to 11 per cent.

The current agreed target is 10 per cent, but 66 per cent of consumers who responded to the FSA's survey said they wanted to see further reductions beyond this.

In addition, three quarters of those questioned thought retailers should tell customers what proportion of chickens have the highest level of contamination.

Seventy-six per cent also wanted retailers to be more proactive in telling them what action is being taken to cut campylobacter levels on their chicken, and more than half (53 per cent) said they would buy chicken from another retailer if their usual shop sold more than the average amount of 'high risk' chicken.

FSA has now resumed its campylobacter survey after it was suspended in April so that methods could be updated. The current survey will run until July 2017, during which time 4,000 fresh whole chilled chickens will be sampled from all major retailers and independent shops. The first set of results is expected in January 2017.

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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. 

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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.