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Farmer-vet relationship 'must be maintained'
farmer and vet
From May 1, APHA will manage TB testing in England through five delivery partners.
NFU: Farmers 'should not have to pay to keep using their own vet'

Farmers are concerned they may have to pay to keep using their own vet for TB tests, due to changes in the way these tests are delivered.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) raised the concerns yesterday (February 17), after the APHA revealed it had awarded five contracts to veterinary businesses who will allocate TB testing work to vets in England.

NFU's deputy president Minette Batters said it is vital that farmers can continue to use their own vet without having to pay testing costs.

"The long-term relationships farmers build with their vets are hugely important for all aspects of animal health and welfare, and especially regarding bovine TB.

"These vets have often worked closely with farmers for many years, building up trust, knowledge of the farmer’s business, and a working relationship which allows them to have informed and detailed discussions about how best to keep bTB, and other diseases, out of their herds."

Currently, testing is carried out by private vets who are appointed, trained and paid by the APHA. From May 1, however, APHA will manage TB testing through five delivery partners, all of whom are part of XL Farmcare.

Under the new system, delivery partners must offer testing work to veterinary businesses within their region. Farmers may request a particular vet to carry out their testing, and APHA says this will be honoured where possible.

However, Ms Batters said the NFU is concerned that testing on smaller farms or those with more complicated tests will cease to be economically viable for their local veterinary practice.

Responding to the news, the BVA said it would be monitoring the impact of the changes and feeding any concerns raised by its members back to Defra and the APHA, with particular attention paid to "any erosion of the link between vets and farmers and the potential impact of a loss of veterinary services in rural areas."

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Submissions open for BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026

News Story 1
 The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.

It is an opportunity for applicants to present new research on any veterinary subject, such as the preliminary results of a study, discussion of a new technique or a description of an interesting case.

They must be based on high-quality clinical research conducted in industry, practice or academia, and summarised in 250 words.

Applications are welcome from vets, vet nurses, practice managers, and students.

Submissions are open until 6 March 2026. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Survey seeks ruminant sector views on antimicrobial stewardship

A new survey is seeking views of people working in the UK ruminant sector on how to tackle the challenge of demonstrating responsible antibiotic stewardship.

Forming part of a wider, collaborative initiative, the results will help identify the types of data available so that challenges with data collection can be better understood and addressed.

Anyone working in the UK farming sector, including vets and farmers,is encouraged to complete the survey, which is available at app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk