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RCVS issues apology for overspend
President personally apologises to whole profession.

The president of the RCVS, Dr Jerry Davies, has at last formally apologised to the entire veterinary profession for the overspending revealed in the McKelvey Report at the end of last year.

The investigation by Professor Bill McKelvey and the subsequent McKelvey Report reprimanded the RCVS for overreach by the Planning and Resources Committee and a general lack of open, challenging and transparent governance. At the time, Dr Davies labelled the report 'regrettable', but there was a notable lack of apology.

Now, in response to the reaction of members of the veterinary profession to the decision not to publish the report in full, a copy of the presentation made by Dr Davies to the BVA Council meeting in December has been published, in which the RCVS president made an apology.

He said: "I would like to emphasise that I, as President of the RCVS, am sorry for what has happened, but I hope you will appreciate that steps are being taken, in particular the setting up of the Audit and Risk Committee, to strengthen governance within our College."

The apology was first made to the meeting of the BVA Council on 7th December 2011. The RCVS has stated that they were under the impression that the apology would be widely promulgated immediately, but reissued it when it became apparent that this had not taken place.

The full extent of the controversial McKelvey Report remains unpublished. Only the Recommendations have been published, and a request under the Freedom of Information Act to release the entire report which contains the findings upon which Professor McKelvey based his Recommendations failed. Professor Davies reiterated the College's statement that external legal Counsel had advised that to publish the entire report would be unlawful under the Data Protection Act due to the presence of personal information.

Professor Davies' full presentation is available from the RCVS website and the BVA Council Meeting is expected to be reported in more detail in The Veterinary Record in due course.

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Defra shares new Sanitary and Phytosanitary guidance

News Story 1
 Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.

The agreement, which will change the movement and trade of animals and related products, could see reductions in checks, paperwork and certification. As well as describing regulatory developments, the advice highlights the importance of animal ID, registration and traceability in disease control and other compliance arrangements.

The guidance can be found here. More detail is expected as negotiations progress. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
New form for online veterinary medicines retailers

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has produced a new online form for retailers wishing to sell veterinary medicines on the internet.

The form replace the previous Word version and is part of the VMD's ongoing commitment to digitise its processes. Anyone retailing prescription medicines online, including POM-V, POM-VPS and NFA-VPS categories, is lawfully required to register with the VMD before trading.

The change only applies to new applicants. Retailers already listed on the VMD's Register of Online Retailers or registered under the Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme (AIRS) do not need to do anything.