Over 1,600 EU vet professionals respond to second RCVS Brexit survey

Over 1,600 EU-qualified veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses have already responded to our second survey on the implications of the UK’s decision to exit the European Union on their lives and careers.

The original survey was sent last year to more than 5,000 UK-registered veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses who gained their qualification from a non-UK EU institution, with a response rate of around 55%.

This year the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), on behalf of the RCVS, contacted over 6,000 veterinary surgeons and almost 50 veterinary nurses – including those previously surveyed as well as EU registrants who have joined since the last survey – who trained in non-UK EU countries to seek their views on the implications of Brexit for European veterinary professionals. This will help inform us as to how we make our representations to the government. Already more than 1,600 people have responded to the survey.

Chris Tufnell, our Senior Vice-President and Chair of the RCVS Brexit Taskforce, said: “The aim of this survey is to gain a greater understanding of the views and expectations of our EU colleagues now that certain elements of the UK’s withdrawal process from the European Union, as well as the timing, have become clearer. The survey will also be looking for the views of colleagues on how the College has addressed the challenges of Brexit so far.

“It is particularly important that those who responded to last year’s survey do so this year because the aim is to get a sense of how their views and plans are shifting as the Brexit process moves forward.”

As with last year’s survey, the views collated through the consultation will help us understand the immediate and longer-term impact of the UK’s exit from the EU, gather evidence that could be used to make a case for special treatment of veterinary professionals with regard to future immigration policies and allow us to provide informed advice to European veterinary professionals as they make decisions about their future careers.

Dr Tufnell added: “I would strongly encourage EU veterinary professionals to respond to this survey, even if they didn’t do so last year, as their views really do matter to us and really do have an impact on our Brexit policies and the views we put forward to the government in these critical times.”

The deadline for sending responses to the IES is Wednesday 18 July 2018 and all data will be managed and analysed by IES, an independent not-for-profit research institute, on a confidential basis with no individual responses being seen by the RCVS.

We are intending to conduct a third survey when the terms of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, and the impact of this on non-UK EU nationals, are better defined.

Our Brexit Principles, which set out the views of the College in relation to mitigating the risks and maximising the opportunities of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, are also available to read.

At the meeting of RCVS Council on Thursday 14 June 2018, members agreed a minor addition to the principles to include the pledge that the College would advocate ‘that no restrictions are placed on the free movement of EU-qualified veterinary surgeons or veterinary nurses, or on access to evidence, that would jeopardise veterinary research in the UK.’