BVA responds to SAG report
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has responded to the final report of the Surveillance Advisory Group (SAG) set up by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA). The SAG was asked to consult stakeholders and make recommendations on possible criteria for a future delivery model to be used in veterinary surveillance in England and Wales.
Commenting, President of the BVA Carl Padgett said:
“The report has progressed the thinking about surveillance delivery and overall the Group has set out a very clear direction for the future.”
“The number one recommendation to ensure 95% of holdings have access to a post-mortem facility or collection point within an hour is ambitious but essential. If it is achieved we can significantly widen and improve access to the whole surveillance system.”
“We welcomed the establishment of the SAG but were concerned that it was a case of the cart being put before the horse as AHVLA had already announced rationalisation plans for veterinary laboratories in England and Wales.”
“The SAG has had a very limited time to consider the issues and unfortunately has not had access to the necessary information to flesh out its recommendations.”
“This report is just the start of the process, and should have happened before the rationalisation plans were announced. The next stage must be for these proposals to be fully costed in an open and transparent way before decisions are made about the future.”
“The overall aim must be to develop and enhance our surveillance system for future animal and human health and we may need to think much more innovatively about how we fund and deliver it.”
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
