How a The BVA Congress was held in London, over two days, 30 September-1 October. The BVA, founded in 1882, is a voluntary association of veterinary surgeons that has evolved to become the acknowledged representative of the British veterinary profession at home and overseas.
The theme for this year’s congress was biosecurity and disease prevention. Below is an extract from the Congress Welcome speech delivered by the outgoing President, Dr Bob McCraken:
BVA President’s Congress welcome speech
“The BVA Congress takes bio-security and disease prevention - the logistics and science of keeping disease at bay - as its theme. Responsibility for biosecurity is a joint one that must be shared by all who have a responsibility for animals - farm and companion animals. Those involved must include animal keepers, those who trade in animals, Defra, the State Veterinary Service and of course, the veterinary profession. Effective biosecurity starts at International level through national level to farms and to companion animal homes.
Like our animals, we live in a continually changing world. The threat of epizootic, exotic and novel diseases is greater today than it was 20 years ago. The agricultural industry in the UK is adapting to unprecedented change; lifestyle changes have resulted in a shift in our companion animal population and an enlarged European Union has brought with it, many challenges.
The recent concerns in Europe over the potential of Avian Influenza, and the outbreak in Sussex in July of Newcastle Disease in a flock of 9000 imported pheasants; show that we live in a dynamic disease situation. Bovine tuberculosis remains an endemic disease especially amongst many of our cattle and badger populations. E. coli and other food-borne pathogens are very much with us.
Our approach, in an ever-increasingly threatening disease scenario, must be one of being alive to our responsibilities - from the airport to the cowshed, from the pet-shop to the animal hospital.
Together we must strive to prevent the introduction of epizootic diseases into the UK and whilst we can reduce the likelihood we cannot prevent it. Together we must identify introduced disease more quickly. Together we must eradicate introduced disease more effectively. However, the reality is that diseases such as Foot and Mouth disease and Avian Influenza will gain access to the UK. Our role must be to minimise the impact on our susceptible animal population, based upon this three-pronged approach.
I’ll use the sadly overused and perhaps clichéd term ‘partnership’ here, because I believe in the notion when genuinely used. And I believe that unless we - Government, all animal keepers and veterinarians - can take action together, we are a much-reduced force. Partnership implies a sharing of responsibilities and accountabilities. Government, BVA and animal organisations must make greater efforts to make such partnership a reality. With true partnership comes synergy - an objective we have yet to achieve in the animal health front.
We are aware of the fronts on which we should be taking action - and, I am pleased to say, on which we are taking action. These include bovine tuberculosis, better animal welfare regulation and the animal health and welfare strategy.
I believe BVA can be of great value to the country in the fight against exotic disease, representing as it does the majority of private practitioners who are, or would be, in the frontline of surveillance in the companion animal, leisure and sport animal and farm settings.
Through the Association, the considered views of our expert practitioners, researchers and others must be brought together in coherent advice to Government and other bodies. Bearing in mind the many challenges, we will exercise our responsibility to the full.
It is the expertise and experience that rests in the Specialist and Territorial Divisions of BVA that are its real strengths - the expertise of the British Veterinary Poultry Association which recently assisted Government in making its decisions on our preparedness for Avian Influenza; the expertise in the British Small Animal Veterinary Association in drawing up guidelines for the control of MRSA and the expertise of the British Equine Veterinary Association in helping produce, for the nation, a Welfare Strategy for the Horse.
It would be remiss of Government not to make use of this wealth of expertise and advice. The veterinary profession is willing and enthusiastic to accept its share of the responsibilities relating to animal health, through effective partnership with the other responsible bodies including Government and its State Veterinary Service.
The Animal Welfare Bill, produced by Government following widespread consultation, contains excellent strategic elements. These will continue to be improved upon but we must ensure that the end result is excellent, not only from a strategic point of view but also from an implementational one - capable of being applied in a practical and consistent manner.
As I end my term as President, I look forward to my successor Dr Freda Scott-Park continuing to redress the balance of the work of BVA. 75% of the veterinary profession derive a living or have their expertise in the care and treatment of companion animals.
The majority of my day-to-day work over the last 12 months has been focused on farm animal issues. We work to change this balance.
Epizootic diseases, zoonotic diseases and novel, emerging diseases are no respecter of animal species. The causal pathogens can infect companion animals and farm animals. The recognition of such pathogens in any region of our world is cause for concern.
As I mentioned earlier man is an ever-increasing and frequent world traveller. Animals and animal products travel with him. We must never forget that pathogens are also frequent fliers and this demands that the medical and veterinary professions work more closely together than ever before.
In conclusion I would reiterate that in recognising the reality of the many current and future threats we face the Government, the veterinary profession and the world of animal keepers must liase and co-ordinate our efforts into those of true partnership.
We must:
* Prevent the introduction of pathogens;
* Identify the first incident of introduced disease;
* Eradicate such diseases rapidly and effectively.
And we must do so at the international, European Union, and national levels; on farm and at home. Together we must defend the UK’s livestock against disease through united action and employ the lessons learnt from yesterday’s battles to ensure tomorrow’s successes”.
New President
Dr Freda Scott-Park of Dunbartonshire, Scotland was elected President of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) for 2005/2006 on Sunday, 2 October. The ceremony took place during the Annual General Meeting of the BVA at the close of its Annual Congress, held in London.
Dr Scott-Park is only the second woman to be BVA President, the first being Miss Mary Brancker CBE FRCVS, who was President in 1967/68 and who, coincidentally, was awarded the BVA’s most prestigious award, The Chiron Award, during the AGM.
Freda Scott-Park graduated from the Royal (Dick) in Edinburgh in 1979 and went on to study for a PhD in canine cardiology. Her work has covered eight years in a mixed, mainly small animal practice in Glasgow, five years teaching student veterinary nurses at Edinburgh’s Telford College, during which her special interests were anaesthesia, cardiology, reproduction and urogenital medicine, and seven years in industry.
She currently works as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry reading ECGs from studies into novel medicines to ensure that there are no abnormalities in heart rhythm or rate before their introduction into clinical trials.
In addition she continues to look after her farm animals, small and large.
Dr Scott-Park was President of BSAVA from 2003 until 2004 following several other BSAVA appointments, including Junior Vice President, Public Relations Officer, Chairman of the Scottish Region, member of the Education Committee, Regional Co-ordinator and Chairman of the Members’ Service Committee. This latter appointment involved setting up the redesigned BSAVA Practice Standards Scheme, the organisation of the inspector core and the instigation of the inspections.
