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Governments Help Local Farmers
Statistics released by Defra show that more government departments are sourcing domestically produced food.

Thirteen out of twenty-one departments have increased the amount of home-grown food they serve, and on average over 90 per cent of the milk, whole eggs, and whole potatoes come from Britain.

Soldiers on active service eat only British pork and fish; hospital patients are only served bread made in the UK; and only a small proportion of the cheese served in prisons comes from abroad.

Food and Farming Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said: “The government is committed to helping local food producers compete for public sector catering contracts, and it’s great news that they’re increasingly offering the best value…We know that there’s still more that government departments could do, and there are areas where British producers could potentially be supplying more to the public sector.

“Government departments are looking at how they can increase the amount of food they serve which is high-quality enough to meet Assured Farm Standards, or has been fairly traded. We also know that there’s a big market there for local and seasonal producers in this country.”

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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.