RCVS and BVA to co-host 2020 FVE General Assembly in London

The RCVS and the British Veterinary Association (BVA) will be co-hosting the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) General Assembly in June 2020.

The FVE General Assembly is a biannual event in which the organisation, an umbrella body for veterinary associations and regulators from 40 European countries, meets to hear reports from its various committees and working groups and make recommendations on veterinary policy.

Former RCVS and BVA President, the late Peter Storie-Pugh CBE, was a founder member of FVE serving from 1975-1979 as its President. Through the RCVS and BVA, the UK has remained a member ever since, and recently instigated the successful VetFutures Europe project based on the UK’s own programme to shape the future of the veterinary profession.

The 2020 event will be taking place from Thursday 4 to Saturday 6 June at Church House in Westminster and will include a reception for delegates to be held at the House of Lords and hosted by Professor the Lord Trees. It is the first time that the UK has hosted an FVE General Assembly since the FVE met in Belfast in 2002.

Highlights of the event will include an address from Rens van Dobbenburgh, FVE President for 2019 to 2021; updates from working groups such as Animal Welfare and Statutory Bodies; and reports from the FVE sections which represent different aspects of the pan-European profession. These include the European Association of State Veterinary Officers (ESAVO), EVERI which represents vets employed in education, research and industry, the Union of European Veterinary Hygienists (UEVH) and the Union of European Veterinary Practitioners (UEVP). Representatives from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) will also be attending the General Assembly.

Further details about the agenda will be made available closer to the General Assembly.

Niall Connell, RCVS President for 2019 – 2020 (pictured above), commented: “We are delighted and proud to be joining the BVA in hosting next year’s FVE General Assembly and welcoming our friends, colleagues and peers from across Europe to the UK to discuss matters of importance to the continent’s thousands of veterinary professionals.

“The fact that the UK is hosting next year also sends an important message that, whatever the wider political situation between the UK and its neighbours, we want to continue to work collaboratively with our European colleagues to improve veterinary standards, animal welfare and quality of life for veterinary professionals across the continent.”

Simon Doherty, BVA President, said: “BVA is really looking forward to co-hosting this prestigious event, which brings together veterinary professionals from across Europe to share learning, celebrate achievements and explore the challenges and opportunities ahead for the sector.

“It feels especially timely to be holding the Assembly in the UK in 2020, highlighting that however things pan out politically over the coming months, vets from across the broader European veterinary community recognise the importance of continued collaboration and support for the benefit of animal health and welfare and public health.”

More information about FVE can be found on its website.

Please note: this article was amended on Monday 9 September 2019 as Peter Storie-Pugh's name was originally spelled incorrectly and to indicate that he was a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) as well as an MBE.