Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.

Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

Experts unite for 28th National Equine Forum
"The forum is all about being the facilitator of knowledge in the industry" - Georgina Crossman, NEF convener.
Event was live-streamed to more than 20 countries

Leading figures from across the veterinary, equestrian and charitable sectors gathered in London earlier this month for the 28th National Equine Forum (NEF).
 
The event, which was live-streamed to more than 20 countries, covered an array of topics from disease risk, the donkey skin trade and social licence. It also looked at behavioural change and preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.
 
To improve and maximise audience interaction, this year saw the introduction of an audience participation tool, Sli.do. More than 400 users submitted questions to the experts, which were answered in the Q&A panels after some of the sessions.
 
Georgina Crossman, NEF convener, said: "The Forum is all about being the facilitator of knowledge in the industry. Building our audience is the best way to ensure the right information reaches as many people as possible. We thank you all for your support, engagement and interaction."
 
During the event, rural affairs minister Lord Gardiner of Kimble presented The Defra view of the horse industry in a changing world. He announced that the Central Equine database will shortly allow owners to update their details via the online Digital Stable. This comes ahead of the microchipping deadline of 1 October 2020, which applies to all horses born before 2009.
 
The event also saw Dr Richard Newton, director of epidemiology and disease surveillance at the Animal Health Trust, discuss managing infectious disease risks. Using the recent outbreaks of equine viral arteritis and equine influenza outbreaks as examples, he explained strategies to minimise the chance of disease risk.
 
The NEF is organised by a committee reflecting various sectors of the equine industry and is presided by HRH Princess Royal. All of the sessions from the event can be viewed here. 

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Germany livestock import ban lifted

The UK government has amended its ban on the import of livestock, meat and dairy products from Germany.

Defra said the decision follows 'rigorous technical assessment' of the measures applied and the current situation. "If the situation changes, we will not hesitate to take necessary action in response to the FMD outbreaks in the European Union to protect our domestic biosecurity," it said.

The ban was implemented in January following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) near Berlin. Personal imports of meat, milk and dairy products will remain in place at a country level.