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Sheep Veterinary Society appoints new president
From left to right, Joe Henry, Kim Hamer and Phillipa Page.

Kim Hamer takes over the role from Joe Henry.

Veterinary surgeon and academic clinician Kim Hamer has been appointed president of the Sheep Veterinary Society at its Autumn conference.

Kim succeeds Joe Henry, who has become senior vice president following the retirement of David Wilson from the committee. Farm veterinary surgeon Phillipa Page joins the officials as junior vice president.

Raised on the Welsh Borders in a farming and veterinary family, Kim is passionate about disease prevention, supporting farms and teaching students. Her work at the School of Biodiversity One Health and Veterinary Medicine at the University of Glasgow sees her involved in research and supervising residents at the European College of Small Ruminant Health Management.

Kim has extensive experience working in clinical practice, including eight years in mixed practice in the Welsh/English Borders, focusing on farm animal medicine and sheep preventative health.  She spent two years at the Farm Animal Practice at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, during which she co-authored Sheep Keeping as part of The Professional Smallholders Series with Phillipa Page. She is currently undertaking a PhD in veterinary ecology.

Kim's research encompasses a wide array of topics related to sheep health, including sheep parasitology, micro-mineral nutrition, and neurology. Currently, she is focused on antibiotic use in remote rural settings and exploring how a digital diagnostic decision-support tool could help improve clinical outcomes for sheep and goats in sub-Saharan Africa. 

The Sheep Veterinary Society brings together all those interested in the welfare and production of sheep, including vets, flock owners and advisors from across the UK, Europe and the world. Members of the Society and Committee are actively engaged in various groups and initiatives, contributing to ideas and policies that will directly influence the future of the sheep farming industry. 

The Autumn Sheep Veterinary conference took place in Morpeth, Northumberland, 23-25 September. 

Image (C) Sheep Veterinary Society.

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BEVA gives RVNs right to vote

News Story 1
 The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) is to allow its registered veterinary nurse (RVN) members the right to vote.

RVN members will now be able to take part in key decision-making processes and stand for BEVA council.

Marie Rippingale, chair of BEVA's Nurse Committee, said: "I am very proud to be a part of BEVA.

"This change will help to empower nurses to speak up and contribute, but more importantly, it will give them an opportunity to collaborate with other members of the equine veterinary profession to bring about change that is positive for all." 

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Farmer survey to reveal on-farm impact of bluetongue

A nationwide survey has been launched to better understand how the bluetongue virus is affecting UK farms.

Results will inform the support that farmers receive for bluetongue, as well as preparing the livestock industry for the future.

The short online survey is open to all livestock farmers, regardless of whether they've had a confirmed case of bluetongue on their farm. It asks how many animals have been affected, the severity of their clinical signs and how it has impacted farm business.

The survey takes five minutes to complete and is fully anonymous.

It is led by Fiona Lovatt, of Flock Health Limited, and the Ruminant Health & Welfare bluetongue working group, in collaboration with AHDB and the University of Nottingham.

Dr Lovatt says: "We need to find out what level of clinical signs farmers are seeing in their animals, whether they are experiencing mortality with BTV-3 cases, and what their appetite is to vaccinate in future for bluetongue serotype 3."

The survey can be found here.