BVA President calls on veterinary profession to stand together on reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) President has urged veterinary professionals to stand together and engage with the UK Government’s consultation on reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 at annual Westminster Dinner.  

Following the launch of the Government’s consultation last week, legislative reform was at the forefront of everyone’s minds during the reception held last night (Wednesday 4 February) at One Great George Street, Westminster. Addressing members of the veterinary profession, MPs and peers – including Baroness Hayman of Ullock, Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – BVA President Dr. Rob Williams MRCVS thanked guest speaker Baroness Hayman for her work in making progress towards reforming the Act and urged veterinary professionals to stand together and engage with the consultation.   

He said: “The challenges facing vets today cannot be met with outdated legislation. The Veterinary Surgeons Act is now 60 years old and not fit for purpose. We urgently need a modernised Act that recognises the reality of the veterinary profession of today and is future focused by design”  

He added: “These reforms will affect everyone in this room, so I ask you all to engage with the consultation, support the case for change and encourage your colleagues to do so too. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to shape the future of our sector for generations to come.”   

During his speech, Dr. Williams also welcomed the Government’s negotiations around a Veterinary Agreement with the European Union but highlighted the significant resourcing and operational challenges facing Government departments and agencies.   

He said: “The UK Government has announced it will negotiate a Veterinary Agreement with the European Union, supporting trade and giving us direct access to disease surveillance networks. This is welcome news, though it comes at a time when there are significant resourcing and operational issues across Government departments and agencies responsible for biosecurity, and animal disease resilience as shown in the recent National Audit Office and EFRA committee reports.”

He continued: “Import of novel animal disease is a significant challenge for all parts of the veterinary profession. How as a profession do we best advocate for evidence-informed, pragmatic and effective biosecurity? What role do vets in private practice have to play in our national biosecurity, and disease outbreak readiness in support of vets working across Government departments and agencies? How can we collectively meet these challenges in the national interest? The veterinary profession stands ready to help, and so I call on our Defra colleagues to meet with us and discuss how we can address these concerns.”   

Talking about the ongoing Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation into services for household pets, Dr Williams spoke about the “disheartening” coverage for “what remains a trusted and valued profession”. But he also highlighted the CMA’s recognition of the veterinary profession always working hard, acting ethically and putting animals first, before speaking of how BVA has been working with the CMA to help ensure plans improve transparency and ensure it is a positive change, one that continues to “build trust with pet owners, and gives them a better understanding of the valuable service vets provide.”  

Read Dr. Williams’ full speech here.