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Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies to launch new course
Course is aimed at protecting endangered species

The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh is developing a new unique course to help vets protect endangered species. The launch coincides with the appointment of Anna Meredith as Professor of Zoological and Conservation Medicine at the University.

The course is being launched to help protect the growing number of endangered species and to help vets tackle this global challenge. The course is aimed at international vets, enabling them to study flexibly, part-time through online learning, and achieve a Certificate, Diploma or Masters Degree over one, two or three years.

The first intake of students, which starts in September, includes vets from Cyprus, France, India, North America, Rwanda, Turkey and the UK.

Professor Meredith, who joined the School in 1992 and was involved in setting up its Exotic Animal and Wildlife Service, is heading up a MVetSci in Conservation Medicine.

Professor Meredith said: "Conservation medicine needs biologists, ecologists, public health specialists and vets to work together, but while a lot of vets are keen to become involved there is limited training in this area. This is why we wanted to run such a course that could be accessed by vets from all over the world.

"Animal health and human health are inextricably linked, and human behaviour also has a major impact on many different species. Vets have an important role to play in wildlife conservation, which needs not only a holistic but also an interdisciplinary approach with regards to looking at ecological health and how ecosystems interact."

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.