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Pig unit opens gates to medical experts
RUMA chair Gwyn Jones said that engaging with the medical VIPs was a ‘wholly positive experience’.

NPA responds to calls for ban on preventative antibiotics

A pig unit in Bedford recently opened its gates to a group of high-profile medics to address concerns about antibiotic use in the sector.

Bedfordia farm’s pig unit is home to some 1,000 breeding sows located on two breeding farms - Arnoe Farm and Highfields farm.

The visit was organised by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) alliance and the National Pig Association (NPA) in response to a letter signed by notable people from the medical profession last year.

The letter directed to the health and defra secretaries of state called for an immediate ‘UK-wide ban on the routine preventative mass medication of animals’. The NPA says the invite to see how pig farming works in practice was a ‘chance to set the record straight’.

"We took them to a large commercial high hygiene unit and while this would be exactly the type of set-up that the ASOA (Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics) would seek to portray as high antibiotic users (indoor fully slatted weaners and finishers),” commented NPA chief executive Zoe Davies. “It was absolutely spotless, very impressively run and a huge credit to the staff.”

RUMA chair Gwyn Jones said that engaging with the medical VIPs was a ‘wholly positive experience’. The visit took the group - which included Dame Sally Davies -  through farrowing to weaning, service and pregnant sows.

The visitors were shown around the family farming business’ newer housing and gadgets. They also saw farrowing crates, older buildings with ACNV systems, and groups of squealing, pregnant sows jostling over automatic feeders.

According to the NPA, Bedfordia farm’s pig unit is a below-average user of antibiotics and has managed to reduce antibiotic use by 80 per cent since 2015. The unit is representative of many pig farms today: a range of new and old technologies, varying infrastructure and its own particular challenges, it adds. 

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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.