RCVS Council concern over Government response

There were sharp exchanges in RCVS Council recently over the Government's response to the EFRA Select Committee's report on "Vets and Veterinary Services".

The report, published on 23 October 2003, found that "Although there are sufficient vets in total, there are concerns about whether there are enough large animal practitioners. The economics of farming is leading to less use of veterinary services and is further reducing the attractiveness of large animal practice. At the same time the Government's animal health and welfare and veterinary surveillance strategies appear to require a greater on-farm presence of veterinary surgeons".

In their first meeting since the Government response was published on 28 July, Council criticised the response as complacent and short on proposals for positive action. One Council member invited DEFRA to make an unequivocal statement that veterinary practitioners had a central role in safeguarding the health of farm animals. Rejecting the criticisms Dr Debbie Reynolds, the Chief Veterinary Officer, said that the Department was taking action forward, particularly on herd health planning, but that she also looked to the profession and the industry to come forward with concrete proposals.

Speaking after the meeting, former RCVS President Dr Barry Johnson said the Government response was potentially dangerous in assuming that a profession in crisis could respond without adequately funded mechanisms to control disease. He called for the Government to move beyond "facilitation" to committed involvement in organising action. Dr Johnson recalled the Select Committee's advice that the working group that the Government intended to establish with the profession to consider its recommendations "should also weigh the cost implications of the proposed new animal health and welfare strategies against the cost to the nation if disease control fails".