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Zoetis chief medical officer advocates for the profession
Dr McFarland has dedicated his career to advocating for the health and well-being of animals.

Dr Mike McFarland launches documentary series to mark World Veterinary Day. 

A vet is on a mission to raise awareness of the ways veterinary professionals can improve the world by advancing animal care.

Speaking ahead of World Veterinary Day (30 April), Dr Mike McFarland, global chief medical offer at Zoetis, highlighted the opportunity to recognise the growing importance of veterinary professionals and their pivotal role in protecting public health. 

“When people think of their veterinarian, they think of that person as the caretaker of their animal’s health. But the stakes are much higher than that,” he said. “Veterinarians play a critical role in providing for your animal’s health, your family’s health, your community’s health and our global public health.” 

A veterinary surgeon for more than 35 years, Dr McFarland has dedicated his career to advocating for the health and well-being of animals and the veterinary professionals who care for them. 

He helped lead Zoetis emergency responses to the Louisiana floods, Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, and other major crises. He is also the co-creator and executive sponsor of the Zoetis K-9 Courage Programme, which helps retired military and police dogs with annual health care costs at veterinary clinics. 

To honour the importance of veterinary professionals, Zoetis has launched a new minidocumentary series called FutureBound.

The series will follow Dr McFarland as he visits veterinary experts to showcase impactful stories of veterinary care transformation, the influence of the human-animal bond on animal care, and its positive effect on the health and well-being of animals and those who care for them. 

The first of the two videos are available at zoetis.com/drmike

Image (C) Zoetis.

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Annual submission deadline small pet animal exemptions

News Story 1
 Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.

Submitting this annual return ensures continued compliance with regulatory requirements for products marketed without a full Marketing Authorisation. The exemption specifically applies to products intended for animals, cage birds, terrarium animals, small rodents, ferrets and rabbits.

For further details and submission guidelines, visit the gov.uk website.  

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Bluetongue RZ extended across Scotland

The Scottish Government has announced an extension to a Bluetongue Restricted Zone that is in place in south-west Scotland.

From 3 October, the Restricted Zone will be extended to cover the whole of Scotland. The Animal, Plant and Health Agency (APHA) says this is in response to further disease spread, as well as simplify trading conditions ahead of the autumn.

Since the whole country will share a disease status, it will no longer be necessary to have a movement license to move susceptible livestock around the country. Restrictions on germinal products remain.

As of 1 October 2026, there were 1,979 cases of BTV-3 in England, 389 cases in Wales and 40 cases in Scotland.