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MSPs meet with Cats Protection
Pictured: MSPs with members of the Cats Protection team.

Charity discussed priorities for cat welfare in Scotland.

Cats Protection, leading feline welfare charity, met with members of the Scottish parliament (MSPs) to discuss improving cat welfare across Scotland.

Attended by 25 MSPs, the event took place on 16 June at Holyrood, and was held to educate MSPs on how they can best support Scottish cats and their owners, highlighting current concerns and campaigns for MSPs to be aware of.

“It was wonderful to welcome so many MSPs who were keen to find out how they can support cats and the people who care about them,” said Alice Palombo, Cats Protection's advocacy and government relations officer for Scotland.

“Scotland is a nation of cat lovers, with 20% of households owning one, so their welfare is important to a huge number of people.”

The event was sponsored by Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife, who enthusiastically promoted it on Twitter, sharing images of himself with a giant kitten banner, and cat-shaped biscuits.

The charity has revealed that its campaign to encourage more landlords to allow tenants to keep pet cats was discussed at the parliamentary reception, as well as its calls for compulsory microchipping of pet cats in Scotland.

Alice explained the importance of the event for keeping MSPs up-to-date on key feline welfare discussions: “While Scotland already has some strong legislation in place to protect cats, there is always more that can be done, such as banning snares and introducing fireworks licensing.”

“We were pleased to discuss these priorities with so many MSPs as part of our work to help cats in Scotland.”

 

Image (C) Cats Protection

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.