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Vets welcome NI plans to prosecute BVD offenders
“We welcome this announcement and hope that it will motivate the small number of herd keepers who continue to keep untested animals to comply with the legislation" - Aurelie Moralis, BVA NI Branch president. 
A small number of herd keepers continue to keep untested animals

Vets have welcomed a move by Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to take enforcement action against herd keepers who breach the testing requirements of the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) eradication programme.

Under the new plans, herds with significant numbers of untested animals born before 1 March 2016 (when compulsory testing began) will be contacted and will have 30 days to have their animals tested. Failure to do so may result in prosecution.

Aurelie Moralis, president of BVA Northern Ireland Branch, said: “The introduction of compulsory BVD testing in 2016 has proved very successful in moving Northern Ireland towards our ultimate goal of being BVD free. The majority of farmers are already engaging well with the process to control BVD. However, the success of the eradication programme relies on the commitment and compliance of every herd keeper in Northern Ireland.
 
“We welcome this announcement and hope that it will motivate the small number of herd keepers who continue to keep untested animals to comply with the legislation. We encourage vets to remind their clients that BVD testing is both advisable and compulsory and that failure to comply may now result in prosecution.”

Chief veterinary officer Robert Huey said: “Since BVD testing became compulsory we have seen a significant drop in the prevalence of BVD, however, it is disappointing that a small number of herd keepers continue to keep untested animals. Some of these are likely to be persistently infected with BVD virus so they are a disease risk, both to the current herd and to neighbouring herds.”

He continued: “BVD eradication is dependent on herd keepers being aware of the status of their animals and taking appropriate action. The Department has a responsibility to ensure the legislation is adhered to and we will seek to enforce this through the courts if necessary.”

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.