International Member Spotlight: Beth Duffill-Brookes MRCVS

In this month’s International Member Spotlight interview, Beth Duffill-Brookes MRCVS tells us about her life and work in New Zealand as a Senior Advisor for Animal Welfare with the Animal Health and Welfare Directorate.

Tell us about your role and how you came to work in New Zealand

I work for a government department in New Zealand (NZ) called the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). I moved to NZ seven-and-a-half years ago purely for the job. I hadn’t ever considered moving to the other side of the world before that. In my final year at uni, I received an email from a recruitment agency looking for vets to work in the NZ meat industry. At the time, I was planning on doing my OV (official veterinarian) course as my elective. In order to keep that qualification and make it worthwhile, I needed to complete six months in the industry and pass my OV exam. I got in touch with the recruitment company again but there were no longer any positions available, so I worked as an OV in the meat industry in the UK for a year, then got back in touch with them and got the job. I had the interview in the September and moved in January 2017. The whole thing happened really quickly. I’m very lucky that my partner was supportive – she didn’t hesitate when I asked if she would consider moving there with me.

Initially, I spent six-and-a-half years working for MPI verification services. The team was made up primarily of vets who sit within NZ food safety. The role involved auditing export meat premises against NZ’s standards for food safety and animal welfare, but also overseas agreements, as each country that receives NZ imports has its own set of requirements.

A year-and-a-half ago I moved into the Animal Welfare Team as Senior Advisor. One of my key roles is to provide secretariate support to the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), an independent body responsible for advising the Ministers of Agriculture and Welfare. We also work with NAWAC, providing them with expert scientific advice in relation to animal welfare so that they can carry out their functions under the Animal Welfare Act. In addition, we provide animal welfare advice to the Ministers and members of the public. So, while I no longer work on the front line, I help improve policy and codes of welfare. It’s a big change, but I’m really enjoying it.

What is your role and what area do you work in?

Our team covers animal welfare as a whole, including production and companion animal welfare, and research testing and teaching. My comfort zone is pastoral species (lamb, beef and dairy). Having worked in the meat industry for so long, I feel most comfortable working in transport and humane slaughter.

Can you give us an overview of the types of work/procedures your workplace does?

In NZ we have a tiered legislation system. We’ve got the Animal Welfare Act, which is the overarching piece of legislation with all the outcomes. Then beneath that we’ve got regulation for specific issues, and then we’ve got codes of welfare. The codes of welfare explain to people, for example, if you are doing X, Y and Z you are meeting the minimum requirements, and your animals are doing fine.

At the moment we’re primarily reviewing the pastoral codes, which is a big piece of work, but I also work in the wildlife space. Conservation is a big deal here because we have a lot of invasive species which predate native wildlife, and which need to be humanely managed.

How do you like to start your workday?

I’m definitely a creature of habit and have quite the morning routine! I’m very lucky in that I only have a five-minute commute. I drop my wife off on my way to work then, once I get into the office, set up my desk and make myself a cup of tea. I’m learning Te Reo, the indigenous language of the Māori people, so I spend around 15 minutes working through various exercises. At around 8.35am every day, we have an online sharing of Karakia. Karakia translates as “prayer” and is about connecting with each other, the planet and the environment. It’s very spiritual, and I try to attend as often as I can.

What does a typical day look like for you?

On a typical day, most of my work is on the code review process, whether that’s meeting with a subcommittee from NAWAC to make decisions about a code, or providing them with advice from a compliance, policy, or scientific perspective. I also write lots of documents which can be used to underpin decision making. Our team also deals with Official Information Act requests and other official correspondence.

What do you like best about your role?

My team! Despite the fact I work in Invercargill and they work in Wellington, we have a huddle every day at 9am. We’re close-knit and they’re very caring. I’m very lucky to have them.

I also really enjoy using my knowledge about industry, farming and the slaughter process to help improve standards. Being able to give the best advice I can and knowing that it’s used to help improve things is really rewarding. Working in public health extends the reach and positive influence I can have, both nationally and internationally, so it feels like a really great thing to be doing.

Did you always want to work in the veterinary sector?

From around the age of three I was set on becoming a large animal vet. As a kid I lived opposite a farm, so I would always be over there helping out. I never imagined not being a vet. But it was my public health and animal welfare lecturers who inspired me to get into my current field of work.

When I was younger, I wanted to gain a whole range of experience. When I was 15, I spent a day at the local abattoir. I was apprehensive but ended up really enjoying it. I got to meet the vet and spent most of the day with the meat inspector, which was brilliant. So, there was always a spark when it came to that kind of work because I enjoyed the pathology side of things. The interest in large animals never went away – it was more about deciding which side of the fence I would be on.

How does NZ veterinary regulation differ from UK regulation?

It’s quite similar. We have the 2005 Veterinary Act that the Veterinary Council of New Zealand (VCNZ) are currently looking at reviewing. We’ve also got an Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (AVCM) Act, which includes information on their use and authorisation. Then there’s the Animal Welfare Act, the Animal Products Act and a range of other acts.

The VCNZ is the regulatory equivalent of the Royal College, so the Code of Ethical Conduct is written by the VCNZ and the same sort of complaints process exists.

How does your role uphold and protect animal welfare?

In my previous role at export meat premises, vets assessed live animals in the lairage, identifying and following-up any welfare issues. Vets also have a role in auditing the companies against the NZ standards for animal welfare.

People will always eat meat. So, I think that if we’re going to turn animals into meat, we want them to be treated well on the farm and transported and slaughtered in the best way possible. Not only should they have a good life, they should also have a good death.

People are often put off by my sort of work because they see it as either difficult to do, or because there are a lot of misconceptions around what humane slaughter looks like. There’s a huge amount of science in the humane slaughter space. Animals can be rendered unconscious without feeling anything at all. Vets are the ones that have that scientific knowledge base and are the best people to be working in that space to make sure everything is done properly. I think it’s a really important role.

I feel there’s a real divide when it comes to vets. It’s almost like if you don’t work in practice, you’re not considered a “real” vet. I felt that in the UK, and I feel it here too. But vets work in so many different spheres and we all have a role to play in upholding animal health and welfare. There are so many ways in which vets can make animal health and welfare better and, for me, that was always the goal.

In my current role, it’s great to be able to help people to meet the animal welfare requirements, as well as contributing to reviewing and improving these standards as our scientific knowledge improves.

Why have you decided to keep your MRCVS?

I worked so hard to get it. For me, it ties back to the fact that I got my degree in the UK and as part of my graduation I took my oath about upholding animal welfare. Keeping my MRCVS pulls me back to that moment and it’s a reminder of why I do what I do.

What do you enjoy outside of work?

I’m based in Invercargill, a small town at the bottom of the South Island. It’s quite remote but close to everything we love doing. In the summer my wife and I do a fair bit of hiking and are out in the native bush looking at the trees and the birds, but our primary hobbies are Latin and ballroom dancing. I also play the piano and clarinet and am a part of the local orchestra.

We also founded an LGBTQIA+ initiative around six years ago. My wife is still on the board, but I stepped down earlier this year. I still volunteer, though, and run peer support groups. We also spend a lot of time playing with our two cats!

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