The first weeks as President of BEVA
have flown by and have involved representation of the membership at a range of
meetings and events. We have moved around council members into a new committees
to represent the make up of the new council. This include a new committee
representing equestrian sports chaired by Roly Owers. This committee will
create an important direct interface between BEVA and sports governing bodies
and our members. It demonstrates BEVA’s commitment to a strong sports horse
industry and the role that the veterinary profession plays in ensuring
integrity and public support for such disciplines. This is particularly
important given the impending changes to the Levy and ongoing
internationalisation of sporting regulations. The closure of the Horserace
Betting Levy Board (HBLB) is likely during this parliament. The future of
racing depends on a sustainable funding model and the impasse between racing
and the bookmakers over this year’s levy demonstrates why a change is so
important. It is essential that a good deal for racing remains a good deal for
the horse; the HBLB funds disease surveillance, research and education that
focus on the racehorse, but extend well beyond that remit. We all depend upon
their work, irrespective of the whether racehorses form part of our business.
I have visited Guildford twice since
congress, firstly attending the Queen’s Award for Innovation ceremony for Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging. The fact that a
veterinary company was being recognised for its innovation in this way is
impressive, but the massive impact that Hallmarq has had cannot be
under-stated. Their stubborn commitment to bringing this technology to equine
practice has revolutionised our understanding and care of orthopaedic disease.
It was a great honour to be able to represent BEVA in recognising this achievement.
My second visit was to attend the opening of the new School of Veterinary
Medicine at the University of Surrey. This was an impressive event showcasing
everything they have achieved in developing their facilities, but more
importantly the enthusiastic team of staff who are committed to the next phase
of revolutionising veterinary education. Of course, the most important part of
any veterinary school is the students, and their enthusiasm and skills are
evident; I am not sure that many second year veterinary students would want to
be demonstrating their suturing skills the the Queen!
This will be the only new vet school
opening I attend as President, but I am sure it will not be the only such
opening that BEVA attends over the next few years. There remains a need for
more veterinary graduates and the recent call by SPVS to open up the veterinary
employment market beyond the EU proves this need still exists. We still only
produce half of the veterinary graduates that work in the UK, with many others coming
from Europe. Yet the UK produces some of the best equipped veterinary graduates
in the world. We have just fed into a DEFRA consultation to determine whether
the RCVS should have the power to demand English Language Qualifications for
those coming from non-English speaking countries within the EU; similar to the
GMC. BEVA believes that communication skills are such a fundamental part of the
role of equine veterinary practice that this should be a standard requirement.
Indeed, BEVA has provided guidance on this issue to members to help employers
include english language requirements in job specifications and can be accessed here
My personal view is that the only
way to meet the demand for increased veterinary graduates is to train more.
This means making more places available in the UK and, importantly, enticing
young school leavers into the profession and keeping them there. The debate at
congress, ‘does equine practice need to change to be more compatible with
family life’, shows that many equine practices have already changed to be
compatible with all forms of life. Work-life balance is essential to attract
the brightest and best and to keep them here. While the focus of the debate was
very much about supporting female members of the profession (mothers), we need
to look to the future and ensure that a modern view of work-life balance is the
norm throughout the profession, and not something earned only through
procreation!
Once we can ensure a profession fit
for the future then we need to train the future. There are advantages to
training those increased numbers in new schools, since it drives innovation and
change. However I do not believe the investment needed for establishing new
school’s is justified if they do not provide something different. Either way,
there will be increasing pressures on EMS. However our current reliance on
non-UK graduates suggests that the profession is not really committed to the
concept of EMS since non-UK (and Ireland) graduates are not required to
undertake this additional year of training. We must not allow EMS provision
limit the number of UK graduates trained each year, while at the same time
providing equal recognition of training programmes outside the UK.
This week is World Antimicrobial
Awareness Week, with European Antimicrobial Awareness Day on the 18th. This
year EVJ is launching a special virtual issue raising awareness of this
important subject to coincide with this event. Through the activities of BEVA
and EVJ over the last 4 years we have shown that the equine veterinary sector
are leaders in antimicrobial guardianship. I would encourage people to use this
annual event to refresh their approach to antimicrobial use in their practice.
More information will be made available during that week, including specific
tools to raise awareness to horse owners. One paper in this month’s EVJ struck
me as particularly important to all of use in equine practice. In a study from
Kentucky, Thoroughbred Farms provided details of their worming regimes.
Although there was widespread awareness of anthelmintic resistance, almost 70%
still followed a traditional rotational worming programme and were unwilling to
pay for faecal worm egg counts. Some in the UK are changing their approach to
parasite control, but I suspect the numbers would be little different over
here. This is clearly an area where BEVA needs to provide guidance and
resources so that our members are able to promote responsible use. The full paper
can be access here If you are struggling to access the
full text contact the BEVA office who will help you with your login details.
I have spent many days in London at
meetings representing BEVA and its membership. The unseasonably good weather
has meant I have been able to make best use of ‘Boris Bikes’ to navigate the
capital. I can recommend them, they are infinitely preferable to the rush-hour
tube. Cycling in London is nothing like it was when I was a student; there are
less cars, they respect bikes (on the whole) and there is a whole network of
protected bike lanes. If you lack ‘the knowledge’ then there are some great
cycling navigation tools for smart phones. My favourite is currently ‘Bike Hub’
and provides turn by turn cycling instructions (via a bluetooth earpiece) and
is available for iPhones and android. It does occasionally crash, but it should
tell you to go straight on at each junction. Silence indicates a problem. I can
usually beat the tube travel times, and a whole day only costs £2. I recommend
a good deodorant too!