BVA honours ‘deserving’ award winners at 2026 event
Fergus Mitchell, pictured with new BVA president Gwenllian Mair Rees, received the BVA Council Impact Award.
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has celebrated the ‘inspirational’ contributions of two veterinary professionals at its annual BVA Day.
Its members event, hosted at its London headquarters last week, saw outgoing BVA president Rob Burrows present the BVA Council Impact Award and the BVA Research Travel Scholarship.
The BVA Council Impact Award, also known as the John Bleby Cup, has been awarded to Fergus Mitchell BVM BVS MRCVS. The award recognises an ‘outstanding’ contribution at the Council which benefits BVA members and the wider profession, as well as animal health and welfare as a whole.
Fergus qualified from the University of Nottingham in 2023, before completing an internship at Eastcott Veterinary Referrals. He has recently joined Langford Vets at the University of Bristol, where he is a resident in neurology.
In 2024, Fergus was elected to BVA Council as a representative for the South-West.
The BVA has praised his active contributions to a wide range of debates, where he has represented the views of his region within Council discussions. Fergus has also been involved in discussions regarding the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation into services for household pets and represented the BVA in meetings on the Bluetongue outbreak.
Fergus said: "It has been a real privilege to represent the South-West based members on BVA Council over the past couple of years and to receive the John Bleby Cup is a tremendous honour. Having worked across Devon, Wiltshire and Somerset, I have been fortunate to meet so many brilliant vets and nurses, alongside some fantastic, active regional veterinary groups.
“I’ve greatly valued the opportunity to represent the views of members in the South-West and to work alongside fellow Regional Representatives in bringing members' concerns, challenges and fresh ideas to the BVA table.”
The BVA Research Travel Scholarship (Harry Steele-Bodger Memorial Scholarship Fund) has been granted to fifth-year Harper Keele vet student Amelia Handford.
The full award will support Amelia, known as Millie, with her project: “Evaluation of udder health practices and the relationship with reducing antimicrobial use in Kenya.” Millie will be investigating the prevention and treatment of bovine mastitis, as she aims to reduce microbial use in Kenya.
Fund trustees praised her project proposal, with particular emphasis on her approach of active communication with farmers. They said that this would help build her communication skills, which would benefit her career and the community she works with in Kenya.
Millie’s findings are expected to inform strategies to improve animal welfare, reduce antimicrobial use and support sustainable dairy farming.
Millie said: “As someone hoping to pursue a career in farm animal health and research, I’m excited to be part of and learn from an international project to find practical solutions to improve both animal welfare and farmers livelihood while decreasing antimicrobial use. I’m incredibly grateful for the support from BVA in this project.”
Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.
