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Melissa Donald elected RCVS junior vice-president
Melissa Donald.

Past BVA Scottish branch president will take up the role in July.

RCVS Council member Melissa Donald has been voted in as junior vice-president for 2021-2022. 

Melissa, who will take up the post during RCVS Day in July, succeeds Professor David Argyle, who announced his decision to resign from Council earlier this week.

Announcing the news on Twitter, Melissa wrote: “Delighted and humbled to have been voted in as Junior VP from July. Thank you, and as with everything I have done in my career, you the profession will see me put all my energy and commitment into the role.”

Melissa is chair of the RCVS Standards Committee and a past-president of BVA’s Scottish branch. A graduate of Glasgow University, she undertook a food animal internship at Iowa State University, USA, before joining a two-person traditional mixed practice on the Ayrshire coast. 

Over 25 years Melissa and her husband developed the business into a 4.5 vet 100 per cent small animal practice. She became the clinical coach for nurse training in 2004 and later RCVS practical OSCE examiner for the VN exams.

She is also a past president of the Ayrshire Veterinary Association.

Image (C) RCVS.

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Voting opens for BEVA Council

News Story 1
 Eligible members of BEVA will be able to vote for their Council team until Monday, 17 August 2026. Members will have received an election email on 17 July.

There are five candidates standing for four available places on Council. They are:

  • Alexandre Triguino
  • Angela Jones
  • Beth Bryant
  • Holly Rees
  • Hugh Somerville
Full profiles for each candidate can be found on the BEVA website

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Government releases latest bluetongue statistics

APHA has confirmed the number of bluetongue cases that have been logged in the UK since 1 July 2026.

The total number of BTV-3 cases, as of 6 August, is 187. This includes 183 cases in England and four cases in Wales.

There have been no recorded cases in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The location of premises in Great Britain where at least one animal has tested positive by PCR for BTV-3, BTV-8 or BTV-12 is available on the bluetongue case map. All livestock keepers in Great Britain are urged to familiarise themselves with nation-specific bluetongue control policies.

Bluetongue virus is a notifiable disease. It is a legal requirement that any suspicions, even if livestock has been vaccinated, are reported immediately.