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Annual vet visits ‘crucial’ to farm animal health and welfare
"For the first time the Government in England is recognising animal health and welfare as a public good that will attract public funds" - BVA president, James Russell.

BVA responds to Agricultural Transition Plan update.

BVA president James Russell has responded to the Government's updated Agriculture Transition Plan, stating that annual vet visits will be a ‘crucial first step’ in improving farm animal health and welfare.

Under the update announced on Wednesday (30 June), environment secretary George Eustice pledged to fund a yearly veterinary visit to eligible farms through the Annual Health and Welfare review.

The move is designed ‘to better understand the health and welfare of the national herd and flock and help to target future support in the right way.’

Responding, BVA president James Russell said: “The real win here is that for the first time the Government in England is recognising animal health and welfare as a public good that will attract public funds.
 
“The annual vet visits will be a crucial first step in delivering the ultimate aim of improving the health and welfare of the nation’s herds and flocks. It’s essential that the programme builds on, and strengthens existing farmer-vet relationships. "

He continued: “We know there are some animals that currently have no access to veterinary healthcare and we welcome this opportunity to reach those farms so we can bring veterinary value to improving health, welfare and productivity. 
 
“There is much more detail to be worked out and BVA is actively working with government and farmers to co-design what this looks like in practice. We welcome this first step that will help us to understand the bigger picture on health and welfare so we can target our efforts to make improvements on priority diseases.”

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
New guidance for antibiotic use in rabbits

New best practice guidance on the responsible use of antibiotics in rabbits has been published by the BSAVA in collaboration with the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWA&F).

The guidance is free and has been produced to help veterinary practitioners select the most appropriate antibiotic for rabbits. It covers active substance, dose and route of administration all of which are crucial factors when treating rabbits owing to the risk of enterotoxaemia.

For more information and to access the guide, visit the BSAVALibrary.