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‘Significant changes’ to VN Council approved
Liz Cox, chair of the VN Council.

Council size and composition to be altered 

The RCVS Council has approved substantial changes to the set-up of the VN Council.

Key changes include reducing the term of office for VN councillors, from four years to three years. There will now be a three-term limit for elected members, with a two-year gap before they can stand for election again.

The size and composition of VN Council has also been changed, to six elected veterinary nurses, two appointed veterinary nurses, two appointed veterinary surgeons and four appointed lay members. Previously, council was made up of eight elected vet nurses, four appointed vets and four appointed lay members.

As a result of the reduced number of elected VN councillors, there will be no VN Council elections in 2018, as outgoing members will not need replacing.

VN Council members developed the proposals following a series of workshops at the start of this year.

Liz Cox, chair of the VN Council, said: “When we started to consider the governance of VN Council it became clear that the current arrangements did not accurately reflect the breadth of skills and knowledge amongst veterinary nurses that would be required to meet the challenges confronting the profession and make decisions on its behalf.

“By making the composition of VN Council more flexible by introducing shorter terms and appointed veterinary nurses, we hope that we can widen the pool of potential members, bring in ‘new blood’ to provide a wider range of experience and different perspectives and, as a result, enhance the quality of debate and decision-making amongst the members.”

The council will also make “concerted efforts” to provide additional skills and training on the roles and responsibilities of new members. A mentoring system will pair new members with existing councillors who can “show them the ropes,” Liz Cox added.

Full details on the agreed changes can be found here

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.