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Wales rules out 'England-style' badger cull
badger
Griffiths acknowledged the role played by wildlife in some TB breakdowns but said Wales will not carry out an 'England-style' badger cull.
New package of measures welcomed by BVA

The Welsh government has ruled out a large scale badger cull, such as the one in England, but will consider cage trapping and humanely killing infected badgers.

Under its refreshed TB eradication programme, which was unveiled this week, Wales will also establish 'low', 'intermediate' and 'high' TB incidence areas across the country. Each area will be given a tailored approach to reflect its individual disease risks and conditions.

Other new measures include strengthening cattle controls, meaning chronic breakdown herds will have individual action plans developed by farmers, vets and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

A consultation is being held on measures to protect the 'low TB' area, and to reduce disease in the 'intermediate' and 'high' areas.

The current programme for TB eradication comes to an end this year. Since it was introduced in 2012, the number of new TB incidents in Wales is down by 19 per cent.

Lesley Griffiths, cabinet secretary for environment and rural affairs, said: "I am keen to build on this success and speed up progress, which is why I am looking to introduce enhanced, evidence-based measures."

Griffiths acknowledged the role played by wildlife in some TB breakdowns but said Wales will not carry out an 'England-style' badger cull, with farmers free-shooting both infected and healthy badgers.

A range of other options will be considered, including a strategy piloted in Northern Ireland whereby badgers were cage trapped and humanely killed if they were infected with TB. Working alongside vets and wildlife experts, the cabinet secretary will explore whether a similar approach could be used in high incidence areas where there is chronic herd breakdown, and an objective confirmation that badgers are infected.

Griffiths confirmed that the BadgerBCG vaccine will not be available in 2017. The government is monitoring the situation and exploring the availability of other vaccines. However, she said it is "too soon" to think about deploying a vaccine, until more is known about when the supply will be restored.

The refreshed TB programme has been welcomed by the BVA. Neil Paton, president of the Welsh branch, said he was "particularly heartened" to see the focus on risk-based assessment, and the targeting of chronically infected herds with individual action plans.

However, he said if the new plan does not include badger culling by cage trapping and shooting, an evidence-based plan will be needed and other options must be proposed.

For more information on the consultation, visit: https://consultations.gov.wales/consultations/refreshed-tb-eradication-programme

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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.