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Petplan Veterinary Awards cancelled
Petplan says the decision was made "to help to minimise risk to the profession."

Decision made following growing concerns over COVID-19

The Petplan Veterinary Awards, scheduled to take place on 2 April in Birmingham alongside BSAVA Congress, have been cancelled as a result of concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak.

Petplan joins a number of other businesses and organisations that are cancelling or postponing large-scale public events in an attempt to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

In a statement, the pet insurance company said: “At Petplan we take the welfare of all of our employees, partners and customers very seriously and in response to the wider COVID-19 situation have decided not to go ahead with the Petplan Veterinary Awards ceremony.

“This aligns with feedback from some of our valued veterinary partners on the increased steps being taken to help minimise risk to the profession.”

“We would like to congratulate all of the finalists for this year’s awards and are looking forward to celebrating their achievements and announcing the winners by the end of April.”

This year marks the 21st anniversary of the Petplan Veterinary Awards, with more than 37,000 nominations received across the year for categories including Practice of the Year and Vet of the Year.

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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.