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Welsh farm hosts innovative taster course
vet and nurse
Planned by Neil Paton, the course looks to provide invaluable realistic insight into the physical and intellectual demands of life in the veterinary profession.
Prospective students to gain insight on vet life
 
A course, designed by Neil Paton and run by the Royal Veterinary College and Wales’ Coleg Sir Gar, will be attended by 26 prospective vets from the UK, France and Belgium.

In a five day long programme of lectures and practical visits, 16-24 year olds will visit Coleg Sir Gar’s Gelli Aur College Farm.  

Inspired by Neil Paton’s book So You Want To Be A Vet?, the course features a keynote lecture from RSPCA chief veterinary officer, James Yeates, alongside talks from farm vets, lecturers and current veterinary students.

Planned by Neil Paton, the course looks to provide invaluable realistic insight into the physical and intellectual demands of life in the veterinary profession. Neil Paton said: “It’s great to see the insight I aim to give prospective veterinary students in the book come to life in this course.”

The book informs students about what to expect from a veterinary degree, and outlines a range of potential graduate careers ranging from working with wildlife to drawing up government legislation.

Mr Paton continued: “That we have students from France and Belgium this year and students from Japan last year shows there is international demand for this ‘taster’ course and it is credit to the RVC and Coleg Sir Gar in leading the way and making Wales the home of this innovative course”.

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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.  

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News Shorts
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.