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Badger cull debate in Parliament
MPs vote in favour of motion to abandon cull

A parliamentary debate on the badger cull took place in the House of Commons yesterday, Thursday 25th October, which provoked fierce arguments for and against the cull.

Welsh MPs had a particularly loud voice in the debate, with some arguments that purport that badgers are being killed "for sport" while others focussed on the "absolutely devastating" effects bovine TB has on famers and families.

Newport West Labour MP Paul Flynn was against the cull, saying: "Many people sadly enjoy killing wild animals. It's not part of the growing civilisation of this country as go from decade to decade and we treat other living species with greater respect and not with contempt."

Meanwhile, Carmarthen West and Pembrokeshire South Tory MP, Simon Hart, emphasised the 'very serious consequences' of a lack of action; he said: "A lot of those [slaughtered farm] animals would have been perfectly healthy, some of them would have been in calf; some of them because they were so much in calf would have probably had to be slaughtered on the yard, in front of, in many cases, young children."

Another MP, Montgomeryshire Tory Glyn Davies, himself a farmer, spoke in favour of a 'targeted pilot cull' to test its effectiveness, but he added would not support a general cull if it failed.

At the end of the debate, MPs voted 147 to 28 in favour of a motion calling on the UK government to abandon its cull entirely, but as the debate was held at the behest of backbenchers, ministers are not bound by this vote. 

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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
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."