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Webinars announced on young people and animal abuse
The webinars will be free to attend.
The sessions will be hosted by the Scottish SPCA.

The Scottish SPCA has announced that it will host a pair of free webinars on the subject of children, young people and animal abuse.

Gilly Mendes Ferreira, the Scottish SPCA’s director of innovation and strategic relations, and Joanne M. Williams, professor of applied development psychology at the University of Edinburgh, will lead the sessions.

They will look at the subject of animal abuse by children and young people, and what to do when confronted by such a situation. There will also be the opportunity for participants to share their own thoughts and experiences, as well as ask questions.

The webinars will be held on:
  • Wednesday, 26 April: 10am-11am
  • Wednesday, 3 May: 7pm-8pm
The two experts recently collaborated on a book on the subject: Understanding Animal Abuse and How to Intervene with Children and Young People: A Practical Guide for Professionals Working with People and Animals.

Speaking to mark the publication of the book, Ms Ferreira said: “In recent years, we have established a worrying trend in young people being more exposed to animal abuse. This, combined with new research showing the devastating long-term impact such experiences can have, mean intervening to prevent abuse and educating people on animal welfare is critically important.”

Tickets for the free webinars can be booked online.

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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.  

Click here for more...
News Shorts
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.