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Young Dairy Vet of the Year 2024 winner revealed
Will Balhatchet has been named Young Dairy Vet of the Year 2024.

Will Balhatchet honoured for commitment to farm animal health and welfare.

A North Wiltshire dairy veterinary surgeon has been unveiled as Young Dairy Vet of the Year at the 2024 annual Cream Awards.

Will Balhatchet from George Farm Vets received the honour in recognition of his dedication to improving dairy farm health, welfare, and productivity, and for setting up an embryo transfer service and robot discussion group, which have significantly benefitted his clients.

Summarising the achievement, the judges said: "Will's dedication to improving health, welfare, and productivity on dairy farms, combined with his practical experience as a former dairy herdsperson and innovative approach, sets him apart.

"His clear advice and workable action plans, effective problem-solving, and proactive initiatives, such as the embryo transfer service he set up and robot discussion group he initiated, have made a significant impact to his dairy farming clients. His clients say he goes above and beyond to improve the health, welfare and productivity of the animals he cares for, and they strongly endorse him as a worthy winner of this award."

Dr Balhatchet said: “It was a real privilege to be awarded the Young Dairy Vet of the Year award amongst so many talented and dedicated farm vets in our line of work. Above all, it is a testimony to the farmers I work with day to day and the proactive attitude they take to improving their systems, which has given me so many opportunities to develop my career.”

The Cream Awards are presented annually by British Dairying magazine showcasing the best that the industry has to offer. This year’s sell-out event took place at the Chesford Grange in Warwickshire.

The runner-up was Hana Ward of Torch Vets in Barnstaple, Devon, who was commended for her impactful work in client training, student mentoring, and proactive herd management.

Image (C) Shutterstock.

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BEVA gives RVNs right to vote

News Story 1
 The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) is to allow its registered veterinary nurse (RVN) members the right to vote.

RVN members will now be able to take part in key decision-making processes and stand for BEVA council.

Marie Rippingale, chair of BEVA's Nurse Committee, said: "I am very proud to be a part of BEVA.

"This change will help to empower nurses to speak up and contribute, but more importantly, it will give them an opportunity to collaborate with other members of the equine veterinary profession to bring about change that is positive for all." 

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News Shorts
Farmer survey to reveal on-farm impact of bluetongue

A nationwide survey has been launched to better understand how the bluetongue virus is affecting UK farms.

Results will inform the support that farmers receive for bluetongue, as well as preparing the livestock industry for the future.

The short online survey is open to all livestock farmers, regardless of whether they've had a confirmed case of bluetongue on their farm. It asks how many animals have been affected, the severity of their clinical signs and how it has impacted farm business.

The survey takes five minutes to complete and is fully anonymous.

It is led by Fiona Lovatt, of Flock Health Limited, and the Ruminant Health & Welfare bluetongue working group, in collaboration with AHDB and the University of Nottingham.

Dr Lovatt says: "We need to find out what level of clinical signs farmers are seeing in their animals, whether they are experiencing mortality with BTV-3 cases, and what their appetite is to vaccinate in future for bluetongue serotype 3."

The survey can be found here.