BVA update Good Practice Guide to Handling Veterinary Waste

Medical waste must be dealt with safely and securely, however sometimes it can be difficult to know what waste goes where by accordance of Environment Agency requirements.

The BVA have released a new guide detailing exactly what goes where, what containers are required for certain types of waste and appropriate classification codes.

BVA members will receive a hard copy of the practice waste management poster soon. In the meantime visit the BVA for more information.

Member states must enforce the EU Animal Welfare Strategy or it simply won’t work

The BVA has welcomed changes by the European Commission’s new Animal Welfare Strategy but highlights the need for robust, transparent enforcement of proposed measures to ensure their effectiveness.

Member states typically suffer no penalties for failing to enforce proposals, there are no real economic incentives to upholding them leading to a dramatic effect on animal welfare.

The BVA, whilst positive about the new proposals, commented that they don’t do enough to protect companion animals and dairy cattle.

Read the proposals on the European Commission website.

AHVLA set up independent advisory group

The advisory group is to keep tabs on trends and emerging diseases within the veterinary profession, and is represented by vets, government officials and scientists. The group will be launching a survey mid-January to ascertain the mechanisms of surveillence across the UK.

The BVA has welcomed the establishment of the group and urges all veterinary practitioners to take part in the survey when it is made public.

For more information on the advisory group visit DEFRA.

The risks of antimicrobial resistance passing from animals to humans are lower than previously thought

New research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B has found use of veterinary antibiotics carries a lower risk of resistance in human medicine than previous research indicated.

Carl Padgett, BVA president, commented:
“The researchers state that it is unlikely that the animal population is the major source of resistance diversity for humans.”

The BVA promotes responsible use of antimicrobials.

See more details and the full research report here.

European Antibiotic Awareness Day – Overuse of antibiotics is becoming a serious threat to public safety

The Bella Moss Foundation is heading a campaign to raise awareness of the overuse of antibiotics in pets, which is leading to a significant rise in cases of MRSA in owners. Owners aren’t aware that MRSA can be transmitted by pets, and too many vets prescribe antibiotics without careful consideration.

This needs to change.

The European Commission has released a 12-point plan to regulate the use of antibiotics. The BVA is generally supportive of the plan, though BVA President Carl Padgett has warned “regulations must not impede the ability of veterinary surgeons to prescribe and dispense medicines according to their clinical judgement.”

Send feedback and suggestions to themosses@btinternet.com. Your comments could be published in the Veterinary Times!

There is a lot of information to help both you as a vet and owners:
The Bella Moss Foundation is one of the only charities that helps owners and pets suffering from MRSA – and is a great source of information for owners

The BVA provides support material and posters to alert owners to the risk of MRSA

The European Commission supports a number of projects across Europe designed to tackle the issue

Lieutenant-Colonel Dr. Tiffany Hemming becomes new chair of Animal Welfare Foundation

Dr. Hemming will be leading BVA’s animal welfare charity following Carl Padgett’s departure. The Foundation funds research and educational activities to promote animal welfare within the UK.

Dr. Hemming previously served as commander of a medical squad for two years in Afghanistan, and currently holds the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel within the Territorial Army.

To find out more visit the BVA Animal Welfare Foundation.

Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) should make greater use of vets, says BVA

BVA president Carl Padgett said the following: “Vets in practice have the willingness and, most importantly, the expertise to deliver on TB, brucellosis and a whole host of other production animal diseases and they must be an integral part of that strategy”

DARD is conducting consultations to assess the feasibility of such an idea. Vets themselves would welcome the motion, and there are clear reasons why the agricultural sector would want to pursue the eradication of brucellosis and endemic disease.

BVA deeply concerned over EU resolution to ban prophylactic use of antibiotics in livestock

The EU resolution is aimed at preventing antibiotic resistance but the BVA is concerned measures will impact on the welfare and wellbeing of herds.

Carl Padgett, President of the BVA commented: ‘Vets should be able to use their clinical and professional judgement [...]

In a practical sense a complete ban on the prophylactic use of antimicrobials puts the vets in a very difficult position and the result could compromise animal health and welfare.’

Further details on the resolution can be found at The European Parliament.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has criticised the effectiveness of badger vaccination in eradicating TB in the UK

Research conducted by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust into badger vaccination as an alternative to culling has arrived at overly optimistic conclusions that are ‘unrealistic at best and spin at worst’.

The BVA argues the vaccine has no effect on badgers already infected, and young badgers can become infected with TB before they can be caught and immunised. The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s programme also only covers 1.7 sq km.

Whilst the Trust’s research is an interesting development, Defra’s Badger Vaccine Deployment Project will analyse a much larger area (100 sq km) and will provide further information.

The BVA acknowledge the role of vaccination in eradicating TB, but current deployment methods and the limited scale of research mean that, for the time being, vaccination alone cannot solve the problem.

Take a look at BVA’s Bovine Tuberculosis page for more information on current policy.

Today (Sept 28) is the fifth World Rabies Day, an international campaign to raise awareness of rabies across the world.

It’s estimated 70 000 people still die each year from the disease despite rabies being easily curable. The University of Glasgow is conducting research into the global strain of the disease on economies, and preliminary research unfortunately shows the number of cases rising.

You can read more about research being conducted by the University of Glasgow here.

Vets can help by making owners aware of how easily the disease is contracted from infected dogs, as well as stressing the need for vaccination and immunisation.

Learn more about World Rabies Day here.