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Vet responds to Prime Minister's pig cull comments
The NPA is calling on the government to introduce temporary visas for butchers.
Duncan Berkshire says the remarks are "enormously disappointing". 

A Yorkshire pig vet has responded to comments made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the national pig cull.

It comes as the National Pig Association (NPA) confirms that culling has started at a ‘handful of farms’ and warns that the situation could become more widespread. 

A combination of Brexit, COVID-19 and abattoir staffing shortages are being cited as the main reasons why adult pigs are not being slaughtered quickly enough.

When pressed on the issue by Tom Newton Dunn from Times Radio, Mr Johnson asked the reporter whether he had ever eaten a bacon sandwich, adding: “Those pigs, when you ate them, were not alive. I’ve got to break it to you.”

Vet Duncan Berkshire, who is reported by BBC News to be liaising with Defra over the overcrowding issue, told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme that he found the comments "enormously disappointing". 

"He is unable to see the difference between what we have as a UK supply chain...[and] the absolute abhorrent food wastage that will be the case if we end up having to shoot healthy pigs,” he said. 

“In every other way [the pigs] would be fit for everyone to eat, but we are just going to end up having to put them in a skip and send them for incineration.”

"It's distressing enough just having to start planning for that absolute wastage.”

NPA chief executive Zoe Davies said she is aware of around 600 farmers who have already had to cull some pigs.

"There has been no mass culling yet – although I do believe this is the next stage in the process. As you can imagine this is hugely difficult for the farmers involved and to date, none are willing to speak to the press about it," she said. 

NPA chairman Rob Mutimer added: “There are now producers actively euthanising piglets - they have run out of room. They are tending to euthanise the younger ones and get the older ones away as they can.” 

To help ease the backlog, the NPA is calling on the government to introduce temporary visas for butchers to increase capacity in pork plants and for retailers to prioritise British pork over pork imported from the EU.

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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.