ePolitix.com speaks to Nicky Paull, outgoing president of the British Veterinary Association, about the latest political and legislative developments affecting the veterinary profession.
Reflecting on your tenure as president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), what do you believe have been your successes? What have been your greatest challenges?
Nicky Paull: As president of the BVA you are at the front of a committed team – this is certainly not a role you can do alone. Any successes this year have been the BVA's – not mine. My theme for this year was communication and the BVA has worked harder than ever to improve communications within and outside the profession. The BVA is the key provider of expertise and information about the work and the opinions of the veterinary professionals we represent.
Many of the issues we have been working on are ongoing but a few stand out. One of the greatest challenges has been the genetic welfare problems in pure bred dogs. It is a very emotive subject and we have worked hard to promote the science behind this issue. I really enjoyed being a part of bringing together all the key stakeholders in two meetings through the BVA's own charity, the Animal Welfare Foundation, to discuss how we can move forward while we wait for the findings of the two reviews that are being undertaken. We believe there is much that can be done but in order to do the best by the dogs themselves all the stakeholders need to work together to achieve the best outcomes.
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) continues to be a massive challenge for the farming industry and the veterinary profession. Again, this is a very emotive issue and also a massive drain on the finances of farmers and the government. The BVA, and the veterinary voice, has been at the forefront in the decision making as to how we get bTB not only under control but also how we move to eradicate it from the national herd.
My personal challenge has been in trying to keep up with the massive amounts of consultations the BVA is involved in. But as the leading voice of the profession it is essential we keep veterinary surgeons at the very centre of any decision making on animal health and animal welfare.
Many veterinarians are concerned about the relevance of the Veterinary Surgeons Act (VSA) and believe it needs to be modernised. What legislative changes, if any, would the BVA like to see implemented?
The BVA is currently drafting a response to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) consultation on the VSA.
We believe the main area of concern with the VSA is the current format of the disciplinary structure of the RCVS. We understand the desire of the RCVS to see a clear separation between the rule maker and the disciplinary process and would support the RCVS in trying to improve the current Act in this area in particular. However, any changes to the Act must not result in excessive regulation relative to the risk.
How effective do you believe the government has been at addressing swine flu?
For a start "swine flu" is a really unhelpful shorthand for the H1N1/09v as it is caused a lot of confusion and alarm about the link to pigs. It is a human disease in the UK and as such the veterinary profession has not had any lead role in the planning of how the government manages this human flu epidemic.
On the animal side the key approach has been surveillance and here we have well-established systems in place. The VLA has run a national swine influenza scanning surveillance programme since 1991, funded by Defra, and there is ongoing surveillance of wild bird viruses by the VLA in the UK. I think more could be done worldwide to improve information sharing. A number of countries in Europe conduct routine surveillance of pig populations for swine influenza, but as this is not a notifiable disease in the EU, the surveillance programme is not consistent across the region.
However, veterinary epidemiologists were at the forefront of developments when H1N1/09v first struck humans and the profession continues to pursue active surveillance on farms for all swine influenza strains. This highlights the public health role of the vet in that we are seeing an increasing number of new emerging diseases and need a one health approach - linking human, animal and environmental health.
The pandemic showed the need for the veterinary profession to work closely with all the bodies concerned with human health and my ongoing wish is that we continue to keep the veterinary profession at the forefront of public health and for the profession's significant role in this area to be better recognised by government and the public we serve.
What are the BVA's views on government plans for responsibility and cost-sharing of animal health management, including the creation of a joint industry and government working group?
The BVA supports Defra's aim for a proper working partnership between government and the farming industry but has real concerns over whether its plans will achieve that and will continue to ensure effective management of animal health and welfare. This should not simply be a revenue raising exercise.
It's important to remember that the welfare of animals is inextricably linked to their health. The BVA does not support Defra's proposal to separate animal health and animal welfare. Any new body responsible for animal health must be responsible for animal welfare.
One of our other key concerns is that the proposals are unclear on the roles and responsibilities of ministers, the chief veterinary officer, the board, etc in relation to a disease outbreak and how they would relate to the devolved authorities. Anything that causes confusion in decision making could have disastrous consequences for farming and the rural economy. The proposals will cause further fragmentation of the bodies responsible for disease control and put at risk the single line command structure essential for rapid response and control of disease.
We will continue to press for the responsibility sharing to be given as much weight and thought as the cost sharing aspect of the proposals.
The implications of the new body for species including horses, companion animals and zoos/wildlife establishments are not described or considered. It is essential to ensure they are not overlooked or sidelined in a body with a Board set up around livestock.
And finally we are concerned that the whole focus of the plans seems to be based around exotic and not endemic disease. The BVA believes that we must not lose focus on the day-to-day health and welfare issues of livestock in our concerns about setting up structures that can deal with possible future outbreaks of exotic disease.
Having said all that, the BVA is keen to continue working with the UK government and all the devolved governments in pursuing the best route for the provision of animal health and welfare. We believe it is essential that a veterinarian is included in the joint industry and government working group that Defra has announced to advise how things should be taken forward.
Could you briefly outline your views on devolved animal health and welfare policy?
The BVA sees Great Britain as a single epidemiological unit so the devolving of health and welfare has the potential to make things difficult at times. It is essential that the chief veterinary officers work closely together and also that they all continue to have the ear of their respective ministers.
On the one hand, devolution has allowed each nation to be innovative in its approach to animal health and welfare and I hope that by highlighting some of the good practice in each country through our regional events we can help show best practice across the UK.
The BVA works closely will each of the chief veterinary officers and works hard to get the view of the veterinary profession carried into their governments. We are very much aware that when dealing with farm animal health and welfare the farming economies of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will give the farming sector a greater voice compared to England.
What are the BVA's views on the free movement of animals with the risk of spreading disease, as exemplified by the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS)?
The BVA understands the EU's desire for harmonisation of the movement of companion animals throughout Europe. But the rush to harmonisation should not be done without an adequate risk assessment for both animals and humans. One of the BVA's key areas of concern is Echinococcosis and its zoonotic risk (which means animal to human infection and vice versa) if we lose the ability to insist on tapeworm treatments for companion animals entering the UK.
We continue to request an extension to the UK's derogation from the EU law and we also continue to lobby Defra to support a move to do our own rabies risk assessment and to obtain further surveillance data, particularly on Echinoccocosis, to support a UK desire to keep the status quo on our current derogation for tick and tapeworm treatments. We do not have Echinococcus multilocularis in the UK, nor do we have rabies, and both have severe public health implications so any change to PETS must take such risks into account.
At this year's BVA Congress we are launching a poster campaign aimed at educating pet owners on the risks associated with taking their animals abroad. Whether the European rules change or not, it's important that pets receive the right protection from exotic diseases.
