18 Nov 2022
A new campaigning organisation says the veterinary profession should be “at the forefront” of welfare and environmental protection issues.
Allister Webb
Job Title
A new campaigning organisation that says it wants to speed up improvements to animal protection within the veterinary industry is due to be launched next week.
Officials heading the Progressive Veterinary Association (PVA) claim their group will put animals first and challenge human activities that threaten either their welfare or conservation.
They say they also want to encourage greater discussion both within the professions and government, as well as among the wider public, on key animal welfare issues.
The group will set out its objectives at a launch event in Euston, London on 22 November – just days after the climax of the COP27 summit in Egypt.
Alice Brough, one of its four founding directors, says the sector has a key role to play on broader environmental issues, as well as those of animal welfare.
Dr Brough said: “The natural world finds itself at a crossroads. What each country, organisation and individual does over the next few years will decide the fate of life on this planet. The veterinary profession should be at the forefront of this and the PVA aims to steer its response in the right direction on climate change and the environmental crisis.”
Fellow director Andre Menache added: “The PVA has been set up to accelerate the often slow pace of change within the profession on animal protection issues.”
Membership of the association is open to both current and retired vets and RVNs, as well as students who can join free of charge. Although the organisation is UK-based, international members are also welcome to join.
The PVA says it wants to achieve “positive change for all animals” by putting the primary emphasis on their welfare in human interaction and challenging current norms where they need to.
It added: “We see animals as individuals, rather than commodities used for profit, experimentation or entertainment, or as problems to be managed, so advocate on their behalf with this in mind.”
Among its policy stances is advocating a move towards a plant-based diet for both humans and animals, where that is supported by scientific evidence, because of the effects of climate change.
The group also wants urgent action to address what it recognises as “an environmental and extinction emergency” and says it will support vets who adopt ethical stances on animal protection issues.
Another of the PVA’s directors is Iain McGill, who became a leading figure in the campaign against badger culling after he co-authored a paper that challenged Defra’s claims for its effectiveness against bTB earlier this year.
Although the department has consistently maintained the policy is working, dozens of leading figures, including two of the PVA’s patrons – the celebrated primatologist and UN Envoy for Peace Dame Jane Goodall and Ranald Munro, a former senior civil servant at Defra and chairman of the Independent Expert Panel on Badger Culling – called for a moratorium on the practice while the scientific evidence is independently assessed.
Dr McGill said: “It’s been a seven-year journey to set up the PVA and it’s great to finally see it come to fruition, particularly with such a stellar team at the helm – whether as patrons, directors, speakers or advisors.
“Our oath is to the welfare of animals under our care, and the PVA is all about animal protection.”
Badger culling is due to be among the topics covered in a series of short presentations on current areas of welfare concern at the launch event reflecting many current welfare controversies.
Other subjects on the agenda include brachycephalic dogs, factory farming, animal experiments, exotic pets and horse racing.
The PVA argues it is “fundamentally unnecessary to exploit animals for entertainment in today’s society”, in a stance that appears to echo the recent call by the RSPCA, Dogs Trust and Blue Cross for the abolition of greyhound racing.
It also argues that the veterinary industry should be doing more to educate the public on viable alternatives to the use of animals in research for human medicine, as well as on issues such as seeking tighter regulations on hunting with hounds.
Director Bronwen Eastwood said: “The PVA will provide agile and timely responses to issues concerning the welfare of animals. I believe effective progress comes through education and collaboration.”
The PVA’s patrons also include the actor and animal rights campaigner Peter Egan, who is scheduled to give the keynote speech at the launch event. Anyone interested in attending should email [email protected]
