The RCVS is inviting nominations from veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses who are eligible to stand for RCVS Council and Veterinary Nurses (VN) Council, respectively, in next year’s elections.

The College says next year’s elections will not…

Defra has announced a consultation which seeks to strengthen the regulations around dog breeding and pet sales in order to improve animal welfare.

The consultation proposes to make it a requirement for anyone producing three more more litters a year to…

Defra has rejected the RCVS petition to protect the VN title, saying that criminalising the use of the term 'veterinary nurse' by other animal carers in a veterinary setting would be unduly harsh.

In rejecting the petition, which had gained nearly…

The RCVS has announced the names of the candidates standing in the VN Council elections this year and is, once again, inviting veterinary nurses to put questions to them directly in this year’s 'Quiz the candidates'.

Six veterinary nurses…

The RCVS has announced that the Codes of Professional Conduct for veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses has been updated to state that you should not refer to yourselves or others as 'veterinary nurses' unless registered.

In fact, the change…

The RCVS reports that almost 500 veterinary nurses have been removed from the Register of Veterinary Nurses as a result of not renewing their registration with the College.

Some 692 veterinary nurses had their names removed from the Register on 1 January…

The RCVS Council has announced its agreement with wholesale reform of the College’s governance arrangements to improve the efficiency and accountability of its decision-making processes.

The changes agreed by Council included almost halving the…

The WSAVA has launched a petition to save ketamine from being placed under international scheduling, a move which the association says would prevent those who most need the drug having access to it.

The proposal to schedule ketamine is likely to be considered…

The RCVS has announced the results of the 2016 Veterinary Nurses Council elections.

Voter turnout was more or less the same this year as last: 10.9% (or 1,435) of those eligible to vote. The average over the past 10 years is an 8.8% turnout.

The two places…

Veterinary surgeons and nurses are being called on to 'grow a pair' and sign an online petition for urgent action on the issue of brachycephalic breeds.

The petition was set up by veterinary surgeon and journalist Pete Wedderburn, after discussion…

The RCVS has announced that over the next 6 months, it is investing £225,000 in its Professional Conduct Department’s concerns investigation process.

The investment is being made to increase the speed at which concerns are either closed or…

The RCVS has announced it will be launching a new nine-month alternative dispute resolution (ADR) trial this autumn which will be administered by the law firm that runs the General Optical Council’s ADR scheme.

Nockolds Solicitors was approved…

The BVA has issued a statement about the impact of Brexit on the veterinary profession.

BVA President Sean Wensley said: "The UK's decision to leave the European Union will have a significant impact on matters of interest to the veterinary profession…

Following the EU referendum, the BVA is urging UK governments to protect the status of EU veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses who are currently living and working in the UK.

According to statistics from the RCVS, almost 40% of veterinary surgeons…

3,357 members of the profession, 69% of them veterinary surgeons and 30% veterinary nurses, have responded to the RCVS consultation asking for their views on proposals to move towards a more structured approach to continuing professional development.

The BVA has issued a statement in response to new research data published last week by Niels Pedersen from the Centre of Companion Animal Health, University of California, into breed health of the English bulldog¹. 

Sean Wensley, President of the British…

The BVA has received a response to its letters to the Secretary of State and to Environment Ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland requesting an early statement to the effect that non-British EU veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses who…

Veterinary surgeon and author Emma Milne has come out all guns blazing this week, calling on the leading professional bodies to sever ties with the Kennel Club if it doesn't make health testing for the most serious inherited conditions mandatory.

An online petition set up by the Worldwide Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) as part of a campaign to secure access to ketamine as an essential veterinary medicine has secured more than 11,300 signatures - with 15,000 the next milestone.  

The…

The RCVS has held the first meeting of its Brexit Presidential Taskforce.

The taskforce was established following the EU referendum result on 24 June, with the central purpose of putting the profession in charge of its future by maximising the opportunities…

To mark British Food Fortnight (running until 2nd October) the BVA is calling for mandatory method of production food labelling, which it says could offer post-Brexit UK food producers and farmers a unique selling point.

BVA has added its voice to the 

The RCVS has contacted all registered veterinary nurses reminding them that their annual renewal fee for 2016-17 is now due.

As with last year the RCVS has sent the annual renewal notice to the majority of veterinary nurses by email. This year only 1…

The BSAVA is highlighting the public consultation currently being carried out by Defra as part of its review of UK legislation concerning the Pet Travel Scheme, and encouraging members of the profession and clients to take part.

Specifically, the review…

The RCVS has responded to a petition from Danny Chambers MRCVS and 1,100 of its members which called for veterinary surgeons to be banned from prescribing homeopathic treatments to animals.

In a letter to Danny, RCVS President Christopher Tufnell wrote:

The RCVS and the BVA have sent a joint letter to the Prime Minister with their concerns over how Brexit, and its impact on EU migration, may affect the veterinary profession.

The letter outlines how the organisations want to work with the government…