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Defra investigates Natural England over general licences
Natural England revoked three general licences for shooting 16 species of wild bird.

Call for evidence to explore impact of decision to revoke 

Defra is investigating Natural England’s recent decision to revoke general licences for shooting 16 wild bird species.

Natural England made the decision to scrap the general licences with 36 hours notice last month, after a legal challenge from the group Wild Justice in February.

Environment secretary Michael Gove announced that he will be taking over the ultimate decision making powers for general licences. A call for evidence on the impact of revoking the licences was also launched.

In particular, Defra is hoping to gather information on the implications for the protection of wild birds and the impacts on crops, livestock, wildlife, disease, human health and safety and wider nature conservation efforts.

Wild Justice, which is comprised of Chris Packham, Mark Avery and Ruth Tingay, launched a legal challenge against the licences in February, asserting that birds could only be killed under certain legal conditions, but Natural England had not satisfied itself that those conditions were being met before issuing general licences.

In April, Natural England revealed it would revoke three general licences from 25 April, prompting concern from farmers about protecting crops and livestock from predation.
Following the revocation of the licences, naturalist Chris Packham received death threats and suspicious packages to his home.

Defra’s call for evidence closes on Monday 13 May, after which the secretary of state will take a week to consider the evidence gathered, before making a decision.

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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. 

Click here for more...
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.