Farm vets share sustainability ambitions

A new sustainability policy document has been launched to help UK farm vets and their clients towards their net zero ambitions.

The new policy outlines how the farm animal veterinary profession is crucial in driving increased efficiency in dairy and beef sectors, by providing:

• preventive health care and treatment
• national disease control strategies
• biosecurity
• monitoring and surveillance
• nutritional advice
• breeding and fertility services
• training
• public health
• promotion of animal welfare
• research and development

Crucial role

BCVA board member Rachel Hayton, who led the development of the key policy area for the BCVA, said: “Cattle vets have a crucial role to play in working with their clients. Together we can improve efficiency in the dairy and beef sectors by providing preventive health care, improving key performance indicators and managing disease.

“We are also here to help farmers to develop progressive, regenerative agriculture practices, using an evidence-based, one health approach to achieve net zero warming in UK farming. We really believe a level playing field in a fair regulatory and economic framework is needed, so that farmers and vets can find their own solutions which will differ by circumstance.

“With this policy, the BCVA aims to help promote the role of vets in sustainability from farm to fork while ensuring that animal health and welfare remains a key objective.”

Key policy areas

Seven key policy areas featured in the paper are:

• the role and influence of vets
• impact of performance and disease
• engagement, training, development and collaboration
• net zero in a fair regulatory framework
• developing robust metrics
• responsible use of veterinary medicinal products
• promoting sustainability in veterinary practices

Approaches

BCVA president Elizabeth Berry said: “It is vital that any ‘new’ approaches are underpinned by sound veterinary advice and that farmers embarking on agroecology initiatives feel confident that the veterinary sector is fully engaged with what they are trying to achieve.

“Our farm clients understand their crucial role in the management of soil, water, nitrogen and carbon cycles, and, in turn, the biodiversity of the UK’s farmland.

“There isn’t a single-bullet solution that can be applied universally, but together there are strategies to employ on a bespoke basis and they all need to take an uncompromising approach to animal welfare.”

The policy is available online.