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Animal Trust receives community interest status
Animal Trust provides free face-to-face consultations for sick and injured animals.
Group provides a not-for-profit service for sick and injured animals.

Not-for-profit group Animal Trust has become the first veterinary company in the UK to receive community interest status (CIC).

Animal Trust, which has nine surgeries across the UK, maintains its not-for-profit ethos by providing free face-to-face consultations for sick and injured animals, 'no matter who they are, or where they come from'.

Animal Trust founder, Owen Monie, said: “The CIC status is an important milestone for us, as it locks our commitment in law where our priority always is the health and care of the animals we see in each of our communities."

A CIC is a type of limited company which exists to benefit the community rather than private shareholders. Once established, the public benefit is protected in law and the social benefit can never be lost.

Owen continued: “I originally set up Animal Trust to provide a not-for-profit service to focus on improving the welfare of animals, and to help their owners as many struggle to afford private practices.

“Since we first opened, the demand for our services has only continued to grow, proving how important it is for pets to be able to access good veterinary care, and that pet ownership should not just be accessible for the wealthy.”

Animal Trust first opened in Bolton in 2012 and has since established surgeries in West Midlands, North Wales, Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Yorkshire.

The group provides an array of veterinary facilities including general practice care, dentistry, complex surgery, orthopaedics, CT scanning, imaging, hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, 24/7 in-patient and emergency care, and on-site laboratories.

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.