Tom Lonsdale is standing for RCVS Council for the 18th year in a row.

Candidate discusses his reasons for standing for council

RCVS Council elections are underway after ballot papers were posted last week. Elected candidates will take their seats in July at the RCVS AGM. All votes must be cast by April 25.

MRCVSonline will be speaking to each of the 19 candidates standing in this year's election.

Australian veterinary surgeon Tom Lonsdale is standing for RCVS Council elections for the 18th year in a row. He graduated as a vet in London in 1972 and runs a campaign promoting the feeding of raw meaty bones over commercial pet foods.

1. Why did you decide to stand for election?
I stand in this, my 18th consecutive RCVS election, with the same commitment as in the first. It's about keeping true to my conscience. It's about getting the good health message out in the face of vet journal censorship. It's about trying to provide vital education for practitioners.

It's about placing information about massive veterinary malfeasance on the historical record. When archaeologists finally pick over the ruins of the vet/junk food alliance they will be able to find signs that at least some people were trying to remedy the incompetence and corruption.

2. What are you hoping to achieve if you are elected to the council?
It will be a watershed moment with a ray of hope for the future. The symbolism will be enormous. However, I'm not counting on it. Mostly I look for a good showing of votes. In past years about 9 per cent of voters have supported my calls for reform.

3. What changes would you like to see in the profession?
Fundamental root and branch decontamination of the profession. My book Raw Meaty Bones provides an exposition of the fundamental failings in science, education, administration and governance. The book also provides blueprints for a renaissance.

4. Where do you see the college in five years?
Hopefully the RCVS will be replaced by a wholly new structure following a wide ranging commission of enquiry into the current failings.

5. Why should our members vote for you?
Because my long track record of seeing the big picture and dealing with the detail are potentially of immense benefit.

6. How can the college connect better with the veterinary profession?
Ideally, by the creation of a new Vet Surgeons Act providing completely different lines of communication and regulation.