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RCVS Council asked to back down over post-nominals
The Operational Board has recommended the council review its decision.
Operational board asks council to review its decision after outcry from the profession

RCVS Council will be asked to review its decision to remove certain post-nominals from the register of veterinary surgeons.

The decision prompted an outpouring of criticism from vets in the press, on social media and an online petition forum.

After a meeting yesterday (April 24), the RCVS Operational Board has recommended the council rethink its decision.

More than 1,200 people have signed a petition calling for the RCVS to overturn its decision and the college has been accused of being "out of touch" with its members.

The Operational Board says that while it feels the reasoning behind council's decision was "sound", other methods could now be used to tackle the issues it aims to address.

Council will be asked to review its decision at its meeting on June 5.

The volume of criticism from vets has prompted some to question how a situation has arisen where a council decision is so at odds with the views of the profession.

It also raises the question of how decisions are made at the college and how this could be improved to better represent the profession.

Meanwhile, RCVS Council election voting closes today (April 25). In recent weeks a number of candidates have commented on under-representation of certain sections of the profession on council - for example new graduates, women and vets in practice.

It could be argued that this latest example of a disconnect between council and the profession underlines this further.

Similarly, some have questioned whether the college is accepting enough of those who challenge its views. This has been fuelled by the recent resignation of long-term councillor Bob Partridge due to "personal reasons".

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Annual submission deadline small pet animal exemptions

News Story 1
 Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.

Submitting this annual return ensures continued compliance with regulatory requirements for products marketed without a full Marketing Authorisation. The exemption specifically applies to products intended for animals, cage birds, terrarium animals, small rodents, ferrets and rabbits.

For further details and submission guidelines, visit the gov.uk website.  

Click here for more...
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Bluetongue RZ extended across Scotland

The Scottish Government has announced an extension to a Bluetongue Restricted Zone that is in place in south-west Scotland.

From 3 October, the Restricted Zone will be extended to cover the whole of Scotland. The Animal, Plant and Health Agency (APHA) says this is in response to further disease spread, as well as simplify trading conditions ahead of the autumn.

Since the whole country will share a disease status, it will no longer be necessary to have a movement license to move susceptible livestock around the country. Restrictions on germinal products remain.

As of 1 October 2026, there were 1,979 cases of BTV-3 in England, 389 cases in Wales and 40 cases in Scotland.