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Veterinary disease centre receives funding boost
"The St Boswells centre is an important part of the national disease surveillance programme."

Scotland’s Rural College invests £500k in St Boswells to upgrade facilities

A veterinary disease surveillance centre in the Scottish Borders has received £500,000 from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) to improve its facilities and promote animal health.

The money will be used to support the refurbishment of St Boswells and extend the life of the building. Among the planned works include a revamp of the interior and exterior and an upgrade to the laboratory facilities.

“The St Boswells centre is an important part of the national disease surveillance programme helping to improve animal health and support farm production,” explained George Caldow, head of SRUC Veterinary Services.

“The refurbishment of St Boswells will help secure this service for many years to come and provide a focal point for farm animal health across the region.”

Based at Greycook in St Boswells, SRUC Veterinary Services provides animal health diagnostics for livestock across the Borders, Midlothian and East Lothian and further afield as required.

Other planned works include an upgrade to the post-mortem room with a new hydraulic table and a new cradle design to improve efficiency and safety when examining adult cattle post mortem.
The room will remain closed while the work is in progress, and vets will provide an alternative post-mortem service from an alternative location nearby. 

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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
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.