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Hen charity founder gives keynote speech
Jane Howorth MBE

British Hen Welfare Trust is BVNA's charity of the year

Jane Howorth MBE, founder of the British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT), thanked BVNA president Sam Morgan for the opportunity to be the organisation's charity of the year as she delivered this year's keynote speech at BVNA Congress.

The BHWT re-homes commercial laying hens and encourages support for British free range eggs.

Speaking to a packed room of delegates, Jane gave an overview of why and how she set up the charity and outlined their key achievements to date.

"I'm blown away by the fact that every year we save the lives of nearly 50,000 hens," she said.

Jane was inspired to help end battery farming in the 1970s after watching a panorama documentary highlighting modern farming practices. She formed the BHWT in 2005 and, since then, over 500,000 hens have been saved from slaughter.

During her speech, Jane also highlighted the importance of improving veterinary support and treatments for chickens. She explained to delegates that the BHWT has teamed up with The Chicken Vet to offer advice for vets and veterinary nurses on how to treat hens.

With the rise in the popularity of chickens as pets, it was surprising to learn that there are currently only eight licensed treatments in the United Kingdom.

BHWT main aim is to see consumers and food manufacturers buying only UK produced free-range eggs, resulting in a strong British egg industry where all commercial laying hens enjoy a good quality of life.

The British Hen Welfare Trust uses a positive campaign strategy designed to educate the public and make them aware of their capability to make a difference to hen welfare through their shopping basket.

For more information about the charity visit www.bhwt.org.uk

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
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RCVS members invited to question Council candidates

RCVS members have been invited to submit questions to candidates for this year's RCVS Council election.

With 15 candidates standing for three available positions, vets have been invited to submit a question of their choosing before voting starts. These questions will be collated, with each candidate answering one question of their choice.

It is recommended that members read the candidates' biographies and statements before submitting questions. One question per member can be submitted to vetvote26@rcvs.org.uk before Wednesday, 25 February 2026.

The RCVS Council election is due to start in March.

With only two candidates for two positions on the VN Council, there will be no VN Council elections this year. Meghan Conroy RVN and Lauren Hargrave RVN will begin their three year terms at RCVS' AGM in July.