Election candidates urged to sign up to 12 key pledges.
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has launched its Scottish and Welsh manifestos ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections (6 May).
The manifestos call on election candidates to sign up to 12 key pledges to enhance animal health and welfare, support the veterinary profession, and protect public health.
Among the pledges include a commitment to boost the veterinary workforce, a promise to enshrine animal sentience in law and a vow to champion the responsible use of antibiotics.
For livestock, the manifestos call for protection for animal welfare at slaughter and direct agriculture funding towards improving animal health and welfare. On companion animals, they include an import ban on dogs with cropped ears and tighter legislation around illegal puppy imports.
BVA is calling on its members in Scotland and Wales to write to their parliamentary candidates to ask them to commit to these pledges in their manifestos.
Ifan Lloyd, president of BVA's Welsh branch said: “Our manifesto sets out the animal welfare and workforce issues that matter most to our members across the Welsh veterinary community, and asks for cross-party commitments to action in these crucial areas.
“Vets have a key role to play in keeping our pets healthy, protecting animals and the public against disease threats and maintaining high standards in our food chain, and we want to make sure that their views and concerns are heard and acted on by the new parliamentary intake.”
He continued: “We know that there is strong political and public support for many of the animal welfare measures in our manifesto, such as enshrining animal sentience in law and tackling the scourge of puppy smuggling, but we want to see these pledges become a reality after the elections.
"We’re looking forward to engaging with all parties on these vital points, and are encouraging candidates to talk to vets in their local communities to better understand the veterinary workforce and welfare issues in our profession.”
Kathleen Robertson, president of BVA's Scottish branch, commented: “In creating this manifesto we’ve set out the issues that matter most across the Scottish veterinary community. The profession has an integral role to play in keeping our pets healthy, protecting animals and the public against disease threats and maintaining high standards in our food chain, and we know how hard vets have worked to meet demand and prioritise animal health and welfare throughout the pandemic.
“We’d like to see candidates from all parties commit to action on the most pressing animal welfare issues in Scotland, as well as efforts to boost capacity in the workforce so that vets can meet the post-Brexit demand for services like certifying animal products for import and export. Following the elections, we’re looking forward to engaging with the new parliamentary intake to put these pledges into effect.”
The manifestos are available to download at bva.co.uk/media/4066/bva-scottish-manifesto-2021.pdf (Scottish) and bva.co.uk/media/4065/bva-welsh-manifesto-2021.pdf (Welsh).
RCVS Knowledge has welcomed Professor Peter Cockcroft as editor-in-chief for Veterinary Evidence. 
