Former RCVS President to sit in the House of Lords

Former RCVS President, Professor Sandy Trees, will be appointed to the House of Lords as a non-party-political (cross-bench) peer, following recommendation by the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

Professor Trees, who was President of the RCVS in 2009-2010, has served on the College Council for 12 years. He becomes only the second veterinary surgeon to take a seat in the House of Lords, joining Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior.

“This is a great honour, and a wonderful opportunity,” says Professor Trees. “I look forward to the prospect of ensuring that legislation relating to animal health and welfare is fit for purpose, but I also feel that veterinary surgeons have a great deal to offer society more broadly, and I will relish the opportunity of raising the profile of the profession and what it can contribute.

“Beyond the immediate veterinary sphere, my areas of experience include science, the environment, education, middle eastern politics and tropical medicine, so I hope to be able to contribute to the work of the House of Lords on many fronts.”

“I am delighted to hear that Professor Sandy Trees has been appointed to the House of Lords,” commented Dr Jerry Davies, RCVS President.

“I know that he will not only represent the profession on all matters of veterinary science, veterinary education, animal welfare and public health, but as a cross-bencher, he will also bring a breadth of experience to bear on issues outside the immediate interests of our profession.

"He is a well informed and articulate advocate of whom the profession can be rightly proud.”

Professor Sandy Trees: a short biography

Professor Sandy Trees has worked in general practice, industry and academia. He recently retired as Professor of Veterinary Parasitology at the University of Liverpool, after a career working in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

He held a number of senior professional positions, including President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (2009-10), and remains a Council member. He was Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Liverpool, from 2001 to 2008.

He has given the prestigious Wooldridge Lecture at the British Veterinary Association Congress and the McCall lecture at the University of Glasgow. He has received the Selborne medal of the Association of Veterinary Teachers and Research Workers and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association's Amoroso Award.

The major part of Professor Trees’ career has been in academic research and teaching in parasitic diseases at the University of Liverpool, where he held a variety of posts covering a period of over 30 years.

He has published more than 140 scientific papers and has been active in promoting research and funding for research training, and in the advancement of veterinary education. Professor Trees’ research and teaching has included human as well as animal health.

He has made a significant contribution to tropical medicine through his drug development research concerning human river blindness in West Africa, and has made major contributions to temperate climate livestock and companion animal diseases, including abortion in cattle and disease threats to travelling pets.

He is currently Editor in Chief of the Veterinary Record and Chairman of the Board of the Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh.