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VetNurse.co.uk publishes a curated feed of veterinary nursing news for registered veterinary nurses (RVNs), students (SVNs) and veterinary nursing assistants, with a primary focus on the UK profession.
We select stories based on their practical relevance, clinical interest or professional significance — filtering out noise so busy veterinary nurses can stay informed quickly.
Our coverage includes:
We report across all areas of practice, including companion animal, referral and specialist settings, with a focus on issues affecting veterinary nurses in clinical and professional roles.
Our editorial approach is deliberately selective and concise. We prioritise clarity and relevance over volume, aiming to make each story worth your time.
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Dexmedocord is a dexmedetomidine 0.5 mg/ml solution for injection for dogs and cats and is available through all major UK veterinary wholesalers.
It is indicated in cats and dogs for non-invasive, mildly to moderately painful procedures and examinations requiring restraint, sedation and analgesia.
In dogs, it is also indicated for deep sedation and analgesia in concomitant use with butorphanol for medical and minor surgical procedures, and as a premedication in dogs and cats before induction and maintenance of general anaesthesia.
Dexmedetomidine is the active dextrorotatory enantiomer of medetomidine.
Bob Ferguson, Director of Animal Health at Accord Animal Health, said: "Veterinary practices need trusted products backed by accessible pricing and reliable supply."
"Dexmedocord marks an important milestone as our first POM-V pharmaceutical launch in the UK and reflects the established expertise and strong heritage in high-quality pharmaceuticals that we bring through the wider Accord group."
accordanimalhealth.com
Specialist-led veterinary ophthalmology care is now available at The Pet Vet's Waltham Forest surgery, saving London-based pet owners the need to travel to Optivet's specialist hospital in Hampshire for advanced ophthalmology treatment.
The Pet Vet and Optivet will remain fully independent organisations, with Optivet delivering specialist ophthalmology services within The Pet Vet surgery.
Optivet London will be led by Dr Gemma Turner BSc DVM MANZCVS FANZCVS MRCVS, Specialist in Veterinary Ophthalmology, working in collaboration with The Pet Vet Waltham Forest Head Vet, Dr Katarina Krasna MVDr CertAVP MRCVS.
Optivet's services will cover a wide range of ocular conditions including distichia and ectopic cilia correction, entropion surgery, medial canthoplasty, superficial keratectomy, corneal crosslinking, cataract surgery, retinal reattachment surgery, enucleation and evisceration, orbitotomy procedures, and retrobulbar abscess management.
Optivet.com
The awards will be presented at BVNA Congress 2026 and finalists from each category will be invited to attend the Dinner Dance and Awards Ceremony on Friday 9th October 2026.
The 2026 BVNA Awards are being presented in memory of individuals from the association's history.
Categories are The Jean Turner Award - RVN of the Year, The Des Thompson Award - Veterinary Team Member of the Year, The Jennifer Townson Award - SVN of the Year, and the VNJ Writer of the Year Award.
The RVN, SVN and veterinary team member categories are open to nominations from registered veterinary nurses, student veterinary nurses, other members of the veterinary team, and family and friends of the nominee.
The VNJ Writer of the Year Award is open to nominations from BVNA members only and covers articles published in the VNJ between September 2025 and July 2026.
BVNA President Sarah Holliday said: "We are delighted to launch this year's BVNA Award nominations, to recognise and celebrate the exceptional individuals that make up the veterinary nursing and wider veterinary professions.
"The BVNA Awards recognise the skilled care that individual RVNs and SVNs provide, and the unwavering compassion and empathy that they demonstrate every day.
"We know that veterinary nurses are not only powerful advocates for animal welfare, but also the wellbeing of the people around them.
"We're also thrilled to include an awards category for members of the wider veterinary team, who provide such valuable support to their veterinary nursing colleagues."
She added: "Simply being put forwards for an award also provides much-deserved recognition to all of our nominees, so we would really encourage colleagues, friends and family to nominate an individual you feel should be celebrated.
"We're looking forward to showcasing the special individuals within the veterinary profession and welcoming the worthy finalists and winners to BVNA Congress."
The deadline for nominations is 31 July 2026.
https://bvna.org.uk/bvna-awards-2026/
Practice Performance Diagnostic is a structured investigation tool which combines leadership analysis, operational performance data, team feedback and financial analysis into a single integrated report.
The process includes a leadership systems assessment, operational dashboard creation and analysis, financial performance review, employee feedback analysis, a comprehensive written report, and a one-to-one debrief session with the founder of the Veterinary Leadership Academy, Dave Nicol MRCVS.
The resulting report identifies where operational pressure accumulates, where ownership breaks down, where financial performance is leaking, where leadership dependency remains too high, and where the business is relying too heavily on owner intervention to remain stable.
Dave said: "What I keep seeing are practices that are delivering excellent care for clients and patients, but the owner is carrying far too much of the business personally.
"Decisions continue to route back to them. Standards rely heavily on their direct involvement. Team issues escalate upward. Problems accumulate quietly until the owner steps back in to stabilise things again. Over time, that creates a level of pressure that simply isn't sustainable."
www.drdavenicol.com/diagnostic
The programme has been designed to support early-career nurses looking to build confidence, as well as experienced and head nurses seeking progression or new challenges.
Sessions will combine clinical and non-clinical skill development.
They will also encourage nurses to strengthen their voice within practice, particularly around patient advocacy and welfare.
Content throughout the day will support nurses in identifying and responding to pain and stress more effectively.
It will also cover advocating confidently for patient welfare, translating observations into action within the clinical team, and applying welfare-focused nursing approaches in real-world scenarios.
Topics include pain recognition and management, reducing stress during clinical procedures, ethical decision-making in practice, opportunities within ambulatory nursing, and the future direction of the veterinary nursing profession.
Kassie Hill, VN programme stream guardian at BEVA Congress, said: "I really wanted to create a stream that covers all bases."
"From newer nurses who are building confidence, to experienced head nurses asking 'what's next?' - everyone should come away with tools they can actually use back in practice."
The session "Nursing: Prioritising welfare in our patients and team", chaired by Kassie Hill, is scheduled for Hall 10 on Friday at 11am.
It includes "Keep the bloody thing still!" Taking the stress out of procedures and handling for calm, presented by Jenny Hindmarsh.
It also includes "See what horses can't say: The vital role of nurses in equine pain care", presented by Ruth Morgan.
A later session, "Equine veterinary nursing profession", chaired by Marie Rippingale, will take place in Hall 10 on Friday at 15:40.
It includes "The VN Vision Project - RCVS", presented by Julie Dugmore.
It also includes "On the road with responsibility: Ethics in ambulatory nursing", presented by Cassie Woods.
Super early bird tickets are now available.
They include access to all lecture theatres and exhibition halls, full access to the virtual Congress hub, and on-demand access to Congress content for six months after the event.
BEVA members receive 50% off ticket prices.
An additional 15% discount is available until Wednesday 1 July 2026.
Nurse members can attend all three days for £188.37, or a single day for £89.70.
www.bevacongress.org
The feature is live on Ronda.vet and calculates a reliability score for every practice and every locum based solely on confirmed shift cancellations and the notice period given.
The score appears publicly on each profile, and practices and locums can view each other's reliability rates before confirming a booking.
The system allows practices to see how often a locum has cancelled shifts and with how much notice, while locums can see which practices have cancelled confirmed shifts at short notice.
The reliability rate is calculated using a standardised penalty points model.
Cancellations made 14 days or more before a shift incur 0.5 penalty points, while cancellations with less than 24 hours' notice, or no-shows, incur five points.
For practices, the same logic applies, and a practice which cancels a confirmed shift with less than 24 hours' notice accrues the same penalty points as a locum doing so.
New practices and locums with no confirmed shifts display "N/A", while those with penalty points but no offsetting completions may show 0 per cent.
The system applies automatically to every confirmed shift on the platform.
Ibra Hernando, co-founder, Ronda.vet, and veterinary surgeon, said: "Reliability is the foundation of trust in locum work but, until now, it has largely been invisible until something went wrong."
"By making reliability rates visible and reciprocal, we are giving both practices and locums the same tool to assess each other."
Ronda.vet has also confirmed that exceptional circumstances such as illness or emergency can be reviewed by the support team, and the score is not intended to permanently penalise anyone for isolated incidents.
The nurse wrote to the College prior to the hearing to say that she would not be attending and she was not represented.
The College asked the Committee to proceed with the hearing, which it agreed to do.
The charge against her was that in 2025 she had been convicted, following a guilty plea, of burglary, contrary to section 9(1)(b) of the Theft Act 1968.
She was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months and to an order to carry out unpaid work for 140 hours within the next 12 months; and to pay compensation of £761.20; and made subject to a restraining order.
The particulars of the offence, to which the nurse originally pleaded not guilty before changing her plea to guilty, were that in 2024, she had entered the practice premises as a trespasser and stole veterinary medication of an unknown value, including ketamine.
The Committee found the charge proved on the basis of her admission to the College that she entered a guilty plea at court.
The Committee noted that although she admitted entering a guilty plea, she had continued to deny taking ketamine, but the Committee accepted the court’s version of events and saw no need to investigate further.
Other drugs taken, as listed in the police summary, included methadone, fentanyl patches, buprenorphine, and medetomidine.
In determining the nurse's fitness to practise, the Committee considered the submissions of the College and noted that the defendant didn’t dispute the nature and circumstances of the offence leading to her conviction beyond claiming that she never took ketamine.
It also found that she breached parts 1.5 and 6.5 of the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses relating to the responsible administering of medicines and the fact that veterinary nurses must not engage in any activities that would likely bring the profession into disrepute.
It also took into account the following aggravating factors:
It was found that her conduct fell far below the standard expected of a registered veterinary nurse and that her conviction was serious enough to render her unfit to practise.
In deciding upon a sanction, the Committee took into account all written evidence before it.
In addition to the aggravating factors, it also considered the nurse's "complete lack of insight", her lack of apology or remorse, her denials and the fact there was no evidence of remediation.
The only mitigating factor was that the nurse had no previous adverse disciplinary findings against her.
Paul Morris, chairing the committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee was of the view that the nature and seriousness of [the veterinary nurse]'s behaviour, which led to the conviction, was fundamentally incompatible with being registered as a veterinary nurse.
"The conduct represented a serious departure from professional standards, in that this was a serious offence of dishonesty.
"[The veterinary nurse] has not demonstrated any remorse for her behaviour and instead has sought to blame others; she has demonstrated a complete lack of insight, especially in regard to the impact of her behaviour on public confidence and trust in the profession.
"In light of these conclusions, the Committee decided that the only appropriate and proportionate sanction in this case was removal from the Register."
“The Committee determined that it was important that a clear message be sent that this sort of behaviour is wholly inappropriate and not to be tolerated.
"It brought discredit upon [the veterinary nurse] and discredit upon the profession.”
The Yumivet VH2500 measures 57 parameters including Complete Blood Count (CBC) with a 9-part differential, reticulocyte analysis, and dual platelet measurement methods.
The analyser enables open tube or continuous sample loading and includes pre-configured species profiles with automatic selection or easy switching between species.
It also has an intuitive touchscreen interface, a simplified reagent system, and automated quality control features.
The Yumivet VH2500 is compatible with a slide maker and stainer called Yumivet SPS, a track system called Yumizen T6000, and middleware called Yumizen P8000, and offers connection to laboratory and practice management systems (LIS/PMS).
The Yumivet VH2500 is built on a hybrid analytical platform combining electrical impedance, fluorescence, flow cytometry and spectrophotometry, which Horiba says delivers robust and reliable performance across a wide range of sample types, including challenging or low-volume samples.
https://www.horiba.com/int/veterinary/products/detail/action/show/Product/yumivet-vh2500-7004/
The new materials include a downloadable guide to each CMA remedy and short videos on providing information about ownership, prices, services and treatments, on prescribing veterinary medicines, managing complaints and offering cremation services.
Whilst the CMA's detailed Orders have not yet been released, with more information expected over the summer, the BVA said its information will continue to be updated.
BVA President Dr Rob Williams MRCVS said: "Given the CMA's starting point, following significant pushback from BVA, the final remedies now better balance the needs of the pet-owning public, with practical delivery of vet services."
He added: "However, we understand that the next steps may still feel a bit daunting.
"The first thing to say is that most of you will already be undertaking many, if not most of the measures required by the CMA in your day-to-day work and this next step will be about formalising these processes.
"We're here to support the profession as it gets ready for change later in the year with practical resources to help you comply."
Further discussion of the changes is also planned at BVA Live at the NEC Birmingham on 11 and 12 June, including sessions on complaints handling after the CMA outcome and what the remedies mean in practice.
https://www.bva.co.uk/resources-support/misc-resources/competition-and-markets-authority-measures-for-vet-businesses-get-ready-get-compliant
Kirsty, who is the Acting Registrar at Scotland's Rural College, will take up the three-year post from the RCVS Annual General Meeting on Friday 3 July 2026.
She has been an elected member of VN Council since 2024 and qualified as a veterinary nurse in 1999.
She has worked in veterinary nursing education for over 20 years in areas including curriculum development and programme validation and accreditation, including chairing veterinary nursing accreditation panels for the RCVS.
She replaces Belinda Andrews-Jones RVN, who has been elected Vice-Chair of VN Council for three years.
Kirsty said: "It's an honour to have been elected by my fellow Council members as Chair of the RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council.
"After more than 25 years in veterinary nursing across clinical practice, education and governance, I'm very proud to take on this role at such an important time for the profession.
"My time on VN Council has been both rewarding and inspiring, and I have valued the opportunity to work alongside dedicated colleagues committed to supporting veterinary nurses and advancing the profession.
"These experiences have reinforced the importance of collaboration, inclusivity and strengthening the veterinary nursing voice.
"As Chair, I look forward to supporting the continued development, recognition and wellbeing of veterinary nurses, while helping to shape the future of the profession through ongoing legislative reform.
"I am committed to driving positive progress and championing the vital contribution veterinary nurses make to animal health and welfare every day."
The clinic, which is led by RCVS Recognised Specialists in Small Animal Orthopaedics, Andy Moores and Chris Jordan, focuses on delivering affordable care and supporting general practitioners.
Last year, the team sent over 900 free advice emails to UK vets who had asked for guidance.
Clinical Director Andy Moores said: "We would like to thank all of our referring vets for their ongoing support and for putting their trust in us.
"Our goal at The Moores Orthopaedic Clinic has always been to provide excellent, affordable care, and I am pleased to say that we deliver that day in day out."
He added: "We are in a unique situation at The Moores Orthopaedic Clinic, whereby our veterinary team consists solely of RCVS Specialist surgeons.
"This allows us to be efficient and offer great value TPLOs and hip replacements for example but also to offer cutting-edge services such as 3rd generation TATE elbow replacements and be entirely confident in the level of service we provide.
"We are supported by our incredible nursing team and support staff who all have a deep knowledge and understanding of orthopaedic issues in pets."
For case advice, email: info@mooresortho.com
www.mooresortho.com
Presented by Dr Sam Taylor BVetMed(Hons) CertSAM DipECVIMCA FRCVS, the series is aimed at the whole practice team, from new grads to experienced surgeons and nurses.
The sessions are:
Virbac says the series "provides a practical, flexible learning format that fits around busy clinical schedules, offering clear guidance on diagnosis, treatment and longterm management."
https://www.virbac-hub.co.uk
The new joiners are The London Cat Clinic in Bermondsey, Grace Lane Vets in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, Midsomer Vets in Somerset, and Orchard House Vets, which operates across three sites in Northumberland.
VetThing is part of Vetopia, which has more than 200 practices across nine countries.
Practices that join VetThing from Vetopia's network, resources and approach.
VetThing CEO Dr Ben Hanning MRCVS said: "As a vet myself, I know how much of a practice owner's identity is tied up in their practice and the people within it.
"That's precisely why VetThing has been built the way it has.
"Every practice that joins us does so on the basis that what makes them special is protected, not compromised and given space to flourish.
"The support that we provide enables practices to develop their clinical services and invest in technology, equipment and most importantly, their people."
www.vetthing.co.uk
The platform allows vets to write prescriptions for medications which clients can buy instantly at the point of care, with delivery to their home later.
Practices then receive a share of the revenue from medicine sales that have been fulfilled through vetsuremeds.com, mitigating against the losses if practices simply direct clients to the Internet, where there is a strong chance they will end up in the arms of a corporate-owned dispensary.
VetSurgeon understands that Vetsure is not aiming to compete with the cheapest online dispensaries, but is expecting that clients will be happy to pay a little bit more for the frictionless process which means they don't have to think, the medication will just arrive, and for the knowledge that they are supporting their independent practice.
In addition, the company highlights that because the prescription is processed at the point of care, vetsuremeds.com eliminates the risk of fraudulent multiple use of prescriptions.
In terms of revenue to the practice, the system will not completely replace the profit margin on drugs sold in practice, but against that, there is a reduction in the administrative burden and it also mitigates against the risk of clients giving their details to a corporate-owned group which may later decide to open in the local area.
The platform is rolling out across the Vetsure network in coming weeks and is currently in beta testing, with wider market availability planned later in the year.
Ashley Gray, Managing Director of Vetsure, said: "As a company founded, owned and run by vets, we were driven to act in the face of a rapidly changing marketplace.
"Our mission has always been to champion independent clinics.
"The CMA investigation highlights a very real risk to practice income, particularly when such a significant proportion is tied to medicine sales.
"Vetsuremeds.com enables practices to meet evolving regulatory expectations, deliver outstanding client service, and continue to thrive as independent businesses."
vetsuremeds.com
www.vetsurevet.com
This year's theme is: Patient Safety in Action: Being a Champion for Safe Patient Care.
Over the course of the day, delegates will take part in practical workshops, shared experiences, expert-led discussions, and have the chance to connect with colleagues who are equally passionate about improving veterinary patient safety.
Hannah Godfrey, Client Relationship Lead at VetLed, said: “This year’s theme really focuses on patient safety in the real world. It is more than a day of discussing theoretical concepts; we want our delegates to leave feeling inspired, empowered, and equipped.”
There are 30 Early Bird tickets priced at £135 inc. VAT available until midnight on 15 June 2026.
Once sold out, the price will be £145 inc. VAT until 31 July 2026.
Group discounts for five or more tickets are also available.
https://vetled.thinkific.com/courses/vpss2026
Since 1 April 2026, the RCVS has required all practices to implement a practice-specific suicide prevention plan.
The requirement includes assessing potential risks within the practice setting and putting in place measures to address and mitigate each identified risk.
The new resources include a suicide prevention guide for all practice staff, a suicide prevention plan checklist, and a practical step by step suicide prevention toolkit for veterinary workplaces.
Further resources, including a recorded webinar, will also be published in due course.
A "Suicide awareness fundamentals" course is also available via the RCVS Academy.
The course supplements the resources by looking at the contributing factors behind suicide in the profession, how to talk about it, reduce stigma, and support those in crisis.
Rapinder Newton, Mind Matters Initiative Lead, said: "These resources are comprehensive and will help veterinary practices not only create plans, but also implement and communicate them with staff, and regularly review them to ensure they're fit for purpose as well as adapt them if needed."
https://www.rcvs.org.uk/veterinary-professionals/mind-matters/resources-and-cpd/suicide-prevention-in-the-veterinary-workplace
To create a price list, you need to create an account at Pricebook.vet, then choose a template and add your prices.
You can then publish the pricelist on your website, and Pricebook will even format it to your design so the price list is aligned with your practice branding.
Emily said: All of the templates are in line with what the CMA want you to display and it's easy to do.
"The idea behind this is to get you CMA compliant, quickly and easily.
"We did it for our practice and want to help you do the same.
"It's easy, quick and free, and my way of saying thanks.
"Thank you for being part of this amazingly supportive community.
"I hope you love this tool we've created and you can save yourself loads of time, and have something really swish to add to your practice website.
Visit https://nightingalevets.co.uk/pricing for an example of a price list created with Pricebook.
www.pricebook.vet
Rhonda Hopkins, who has 28 years experience in high-acuity healthcare, including 10 years in Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS), will be helping clients navigate difficult decisions and end of life care and supporting clinical teams in managing the emotion aspect of delivering clinical care.
Rhonda said: "Veterinary care doesn't just involve clinical decisions - it involves people navigating some of the most difficult moments with the animals they love.
"This role brings dedicated emotional and psychological support into practice, helping both clients and teams manage those challenges.
"By supporting our people, we strengthen the care we provide to every patient."
https://www.langfordvets.co.uk
The survey of 2,000 UK consumers, which was carried out by OnePoll in March 2026, found that 40% of pet owners were very concerned about the rising cost of veterinary treatment and 42% were fairly concerned.
It also found that 43% of pet owners currently do not have pet insurance, a figure which is broadly consistent with findings from a recent peer-reviewed study published in the Veterinary Record, which found that 48.5% of UK pet owners surveyed did not have insurance and that affordability was a major factor affecting uptake.
The research also found that 23% of pet owners have cancelled a pet insurance policy within the last two years.
Among those, 11% said premiums had become too expensive and 7% said the policy no longer offered good value.
Insurance status differed by species, with 33% of dog owners uninsured compared with 44% of cat owners.
The findings also showed that 62% of policyholders said they had never made a claim, while 36% had claimed on their policy, including 22% who had made one claim and 13% who had made multiple claims.
The earlier study in the Veterinary Record also identified a strong link between household income and insurance uptake in the UK, with owners in lower-income households significantly less likely to insure their pets.
https://www.bestinsurance.co.uk
In particular, the event will highlight how the veterinary profession can shift from a model focused on reactive treatment to one centred on proactive, preventive care, strengthening the human–animal bond, improving vet–client partnerships, and supporting longer, healthier lives for pets.
Speakers at the summit include:
Daniel Rodes, Innovation and Renovation Lead at Purina Europe, said: "Pet owners increasingly expect personalised, preventive care shaped around the human-animal bond.
"The Purina Institute Global Summit will equip veterinary teams with practical communication strategies and emerging tools to improve client adherence and ultimately deliver better long-term patient outcomes."
All presentations will be available free for veterinary professionals to view later on demand, and provide up to 8.5 hours of CPD.
Live translations will also be available.
https://globalsummit2026.purinainstitute.com
The series, titled "Under pressure: management of feline hypertension and concurrent disease", is available on the Ceva Academy website and consists of eight short videos offering 1.5 hours CPD.
It's presented by Rosanne Jepson BVSc MVetMed PhD DipACVIM DipECVIM PGCertVetEd FHEA MRCVS, professor of small animal internal medicine and nephrology at the Royal Veterinary College (pictured).
The series is designed to help delegates recognise feline hypertension, understand its relationship with conditions including chronic kidney disease and hyperthyroidism, and apply practical, evidence-led management strategies.
It also offers practical guidance on complex case management and an overview of diagnosis and treatment pathways for CKD and hyperthyroidism.
https://ceva.vbms-training.co.uk
Published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, the model is a "hybrid causal Bayesian network" designed to enhance existing tools by analysing complex relationships between risk factors1.
It combines data from electronic health records, owner questionnaires, previous studies and veterinarian expertise.
Waltham says the model confirms the importance of risk factors including breed and size, age, head shape and quality of home dental care, and quantifies the probability of a dog having periodontal disease based on the presence of these factors.
Dr Stephen Makin, Vice President Waltham Petcare Science Institute, said: "This breakthrough is more than just a scientific achievement; it's a potential game-changer for canine oral health.
"Supported by AI, we are moving from detection to prediction, empowering veterinarians and owners with the ability to provide proactive and personalised oral care.
"This could fundamentally change the health and wellbeing of our canine companions."
The new model is now being used within the Linnaeus group to flag risk for newly-registered clients.
It has also been deployed on a risk checker at: https://www.uk.pedigree.com/gum-disease-risk-checker.
In both cases, Linnaeus says the objective is to get information to pet owners earlier, particularly for breeds where risk is substantially higher, to help drive early preventive care.
However, the company says this is only a fraction of what this kind of foundational model can do, and that it is exploring a range of further applications — including how it might work in combination with other clinical tools and diagnostics to support decision-making more directly at the point of care.
Reference
The guidance reflects the latest Home Office rules on the Skilled Worker Visa pathway and sets out the visa process and sponsorship requirements for veterinary businesses looking to sponsor a vet from overseas and for qualified vets looking to move to the UK.
The FAQs cover salary thresholds, visa costs, timelines and the application process.
They also address questions including how to obtain a Certificate of Sponsorship, who qualifies for a salary threshold discount, and what happens if you lose or change jobs.
BVA Senior Vice President Dr. Elizabeth Mullineaux said: "The veterinary profession in the UK heavily relies on overseas vets, who play a crucial role in our workforce.
"However, we've been contacted by many members with questions and concerns around navigating the recent changes to the skilled worker visa rules.
"In response, with this resource we're bringing clarity, by answering the most pressing questions and simply outlining the visa process as well as sponsorship requirements."
https://mybva.bva.co.uk/skilled-worker-visa-guidance-for-vets.html
The study, published in Veterinary Record, compared observations made during unloading with those carried out later in lairage holding pens1.
Over the course of the study, thousands of animals, including cattle, sheep and pigs, were observed at a UK abattoir.
The research was led by the RVC team including final-year veterinary student Sayaka Mochizuki and Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Public Health Kurt Arden, with assistance from Declan Arden from the University of Plymouth.
They found that observing animals during unloading significantly increased the detection of welfare issues such as lameness, slipping and falling.
Across all species, welfare problems were far more likely to be identified at this stage, with detection rates increasing more than tenfold in some cases.
This, say the researchers, is largely because issues become much easier to spot while the animals are in motion, rather than while they are stationary.
As a result, the research team propose a new, practical inspection approach called Animal-Based Measurement (ABMs), which implements simple visual checks during unloading to identify potential health issues.
Incorporating this strategy could enable vets to identify problems earlier, provide more effective feedback to farmers and transporters and take action to reduce suffering.
It also offers a straightforward, evidence-based way to improve food safety standards.
Importantly, this method can be implemented in real-world settings without disrupting abattoir operations.
Sayaka Mochizuki said: "Animal transport ultimately serves the human economic and commodity interests.
"While the experience is relatively brief, it defines the final moments of the lives of production animals and the nature of their death.
"We have a moral obligation to undertake this process as ethically as possible, and our proposal provides a simple but effective way toward a more improved norm."
Kurt Arden said: "Improving animal welfare does not always require complex solutions, sometimes all it requires is a new perspective.
"This study demonstrates how simple, practical changes can reduce suffering, and underscores the important role veterinary students play in producing research that delivers real-world impact."
Fifteen candidates stood in the 2026 election and 6,289 veterinary surgeons (15.8% of those eligible) cast a vote.
Voter turnout compares with 19% in 2025, 19.7% in 2024, 16.7% in 2023 and 18.6% in 2022.
The winning candidates were: Ian Battersby FRCVS with 2,205 votes, Neil Smith FRCVS with 1,620 votes and Lara Wilson MRCVS with 1,598 votes.
Their four-year terms will start at the RCVS Annual General Meeting on Friday, 3 July.
Clare Paget, RCVS Registrar and Returning Officer for the election, said: "Thank you to all of this year's candidates for taking the time and effort to put themselves forward for the election, and to all those who voted as well."
"We look forward to welcoming our three new Council members later this year."
www.rcvs.org.uk/vetvote26