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BVA launches Scottish and Welsh manifestos
The 12 pledges include a call for direct agriculture funding towards improving animal health and welfare.

Election candidates urged to sign up to 12 key pledges.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has launched its Scottish and Welsh manifestos ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections (6 May).

The manifestos call on election candidates to sign up to 12 key pledges to enhance animal health and welfare, support the veterinary profession, and protect public health. 

Among the pledges include a commitment to boost the veterinary workforce, a promise to enshrine animal sentience in law and a vow to champion the responsible use of antibiotics.

For livestock, the manifestos call for protection for animal welfare at slaughter and direct agriculture funding towards improving animal health and welfare. On companion animals, they include an import ban on dogs with cropped ears and tighter legislation around illegal puppy imports. 

BVA is calling on its members in Scotland and Wales to write to their parliamentary candidates to ask them to commit to these pledges in their manifestos.
 
Ifan Lloyd, president of BVA's Welsh branch said: “Our manifesto sets out the animal welfare and workforce issues that matter most to our members across the Welsh veterinary community, and asks for cross-party commitments to action in these crucial areas. 

“Vets have a key role to play in keeping our pets healthy, protecting animals and the public against disease threats and maintaining high standards in our food chain, and we want to make sure that their views and concerns are heard and acted on by the new parliamentary intake.”

He continued: “We know that there is strong political and public support for many of the animal welfare measures in our manifesto, such as enshrining animal sentience in law and tackling the scourge of puppy smuggling, but we want to see these pledges become a reality after the elections.

"We’re looking forward to engaging with all parties on these vital points, and are encouraging candidates to talk to vets in their local communities to better understand the veterinary workforce and welfare issues in our profession.”

Kathleen Robertson, president of BVA's Scottish branch, commented: “In creating this manifesto we’ve set out the issues that matter most across the Scottish veterinary community. The profession has an integral role to play in keeping our pets healthy, protecting animals and the public against disease threats and maintaining high standards in our food chain, and we know how hard vets have worked to meet demand and prioritise animal health and welfare throughout the pandemic.

“We’d like to see candidates from all parties commit to action on the most pressing animal welfare issues in Scotland, as well as efforts to boost capacity in the workforce so that vets can meet the post-Brexit demand for services like certifying animal products for import and export. Following the elections, we’re looking forward to engaging with the new parliamentary intake to put these pledges into effect.”

The manifestos are available to download at bva.co.uk/media/4066/bva-scottish-manifesto-2021.pdf (Scottish) and bva.co.uk/media/4065/bva-welsh-manifesto-2021.pdf (Welsh).

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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.