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Animal sector celebrated in King's New Year Honours
"It is always fantastic to see a veterinary professional represented in the New Year Honours" - RCVS president Linda Belton. 

The recipients include Dr Amanda Jean Carson MRCVS.

The New Year Honours list, unveiled last week (30 December), highlights contributions from the animal health and welfare sector, spanning achievements from disease surveillance and prevention to services to One Health research.

Sheep vet Dr Amanda Jean Carson MRCVS received an MBE for services to farming and the protection of rare breeds via her work for the Animal Plant and Health Agency, where she was Veterinary Lead for the Small Ruminant Expert Group. She served as president of the Sheep Veterinary Society in 2020.

Congratulating Amanda on her award, RCVS president Linda Belton, said: “Many congratulations to Amanda on her well-deserved MBE and for all the work she has done throughout her career at the APHA on disease surveillance, investigation and prevention in the agricultural sector.

“It is always fantastic to see a veterinary professional represented in the New Year Honours as it showcases the contribution our professions make to animal health and welfare, public health and wider society across a range of different fields and disciplines.”

Professor Susan Welburn, Professor of Medical and Veterinary Molecular Epidemiology, received an OBE for services to One Health research and disease elimination. 

Professor Welburn's academic career began in Bristol, after which she moved to Scotland to join the University of Edinburgh. Her projects focus on interventions for disease control, specifically in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia and Tanzania.

She said of her award: “I am deeply honoured with this award that reflects more than 30 years of effort to eliminate human sleeping sickness from Sub-Saharan Africa, one of the most serious of the neglected tropical diseases.
This effort has involved more than 65 postgraduate students from both the University of Edinburgh and Makerere University, Uganda and has shown the clear value of One Health Practice, embracing a holistic approach to zoonotic disease elimination.”

Timothy Porter, former chair of veterinary charity Blue Cross, received an OBE for services to animal welfare, while and Barbara Gardner, trustee and treasurer of the RSPCA, received an MBE.

Barbara Gardner, who also founded the Animal Interfaith Alliance, said: “My highlight at the RSPCA was working with Chris Sherwood to turn around the finance and governance and of course working with all the people there who are amazing and so dedicated to animals.

“At the end of the day, it's all for the animals.”  

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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.