Nutrition

BVA President Sets Out Successes And Challenges For Vets In Scotland

hear from the Minister so for now I would just like to flag up our concerns regarding how the new structure will fit in with devolution and the need for a system across Great Britain which recognises that disease knows no boundaries. As they stand, the proposals are unclear on the role for the CVOs in Scotland and Wales as well as potentially putting at risk the single line command structure necessary for dealing with major disease outbreaks. When dealing with disease incursions that put livestock across the whole of Great Britain at risk we have to have sound policy and a delivery system in disease control, which can be developed rapidly and are clear to all. The fragmented approach that the RCS consultation offers is a great concern to the veterinary profession as a whole. It should be a concern to those in government as well. We are very interested to hear views from ministers on how the proposals will affect Scotland and urge you to make your voices heard in Defra. Responsibility and cost sharing cannot be viewed in a bubble. A number of the issues raised by the consultation link directly to the general question of veterinary service provision and on that note I"m delighted that Professor Lowe is here this evening. As you"ll know, Professor Lowe has been heading up the working group on vets and vet services, which the BVA has actively been a part of. Professor Lowe"s report is due to be published shortly and while I can"t go into too much detail here I can confirm that it will set out a number of challenges for the veterinary profession throughout the UK. Happily for Scotland the report notes research commissioned by the Scottish Government last year that questioned farmers and vets on the provision of services. The research found 97% of farmers said their vet met all their needs and 91% are satisfied with the vet. However, before we all get too content, a third of farmers felt their vet did not add value and perhaps this is the area that we as a profession need to concentrate our efforts. We also come back to the age old question of veterinary services in rural and remote areas. At last year"s dinner we heard about the reduction in the number of vet practices providing services to farms; instead choosing to concentrate on companion animal work. As a vital part of implementing on-farm animal health plans, the profession must look again at how we tackle this decrease, and I hope Professor Lowe"s report might prove to be the catalyst for that review. But we cannot do this in isolation and I would urge farmers and their representative bodies to also work with the profession in planning a future where farms across Scotland can continue to receive the services they require. Still on the topic of rural areas, the Highland and Islands Veterinary Services Schemes continues to support the crofters and the Crofting Counties to make veterinary services more available in the remoter areas. This service still plays in an important role for livestock keepers in this area and long may it continue. I can announce this evening that Dr Freda Scott-Park will be taking Sandy"s place as the liaison between the veterinary practices that work in the areas of the Highland and Island schemes and those in Edinburgh who run the scheme. I know Sandy will be a tough act to follow but I can assure you that Freda does tough very well! I"d like to end this speech by returning to devolution and making a shameless plug for BVA Congress 2009 to be held in Cardiff on 24th to 26th September. Don"t worry - it will be Scotland in 2010! This year"s theme is "Together Forever?" asking what devolution in Britain means for animal health and welfare and its impact on the veterinary profession as a whole. And we are looking forward to ending our Congress this year with a question and answer session involving a panel made up of the four devolved CVOs. I am certain the substance of many of the questions asked of them will centre on how, between us all, we can continue to deliver the best animal health and welfare for the single epidemiological unit that is Great Britain. But without pre-empting the debate too much, I shall just point out that as a relatively small profession I believe we have been very successful in keeping the lines of communication open across the national borders in order to share best practice and innovation in veterinary science and strengthen our links with ministers and industry across the four nations. And I am sure we will continue to do so. May I ask my fellow BVA members to be upstanding and join me in a toast to our guests? Notes 1. The BVA Annual Scottish Dinner provides an opportunity for the veterinary profession to discuss issues of animal welfare, animal health and food safety of particular importance to Scotland with other key representatives of the agri-food industry, political leaders and opinion formers. British Veterinary Association

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