Young Dairy Vet of the Year 2024 crowned

A young vet from Wiltshire has been named Young Dairy Vet of the Year at the annual Cream Awards.

The awards are presented by British Dairying magazine and this year were held at Chesford Grange Hotel in Warwickshire to celebrate the best the British dairy industry has to offer.

Along with a host of other awards for herd management and innovation, the event also showcases young veterinary talent in the sector through its Young Dairy Vet of the Year category.

‘Real privilege’

This year the prestigious award – which is sponsored by Virbac – went to Will Balhatchet from The George Farm Vets in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.

Nominated by a colleague, the judging panel was impressed by Dr Balhatchet’s dedication to improving health, welfare, and productivity on dairy farms with his clear advice and workable action plans.

In addition, he set up an embryo transfer service, bringing a new offering to his practice, along with a robot discussion group – all of which have made a significant and positive impact to his dairy farming clients.

Dr Balhatchet said: “It was a real privilege to be awarded the Young Dairy Vet of the Year award among so many talented and dedicated farm vets in our line of work.

“Above all it is a testimony to the farmers I work with day to day and the proactive attitude they take to improving their systems, which has given me so many opportunities to develop my career.”

‘Next generation’

This year’s runner-up was Hana Ward of Torch Vets in Barnstaple, who impressed the judging panel by balancing client training, student mentoring, and proactive herd management.

Dr Ward excels in delivering critical training, including Milksure and RAFT courses, and has been a driving force in sustainable practices and lameness prevention.

She said: “I thoroughly enjoyed seeing British dairying get the recognition it deserves and was interested to learn about new innovations in the industry. I hope to continue supporting the next generation of young vets within the Torch Farm team, and to develop my knowledge and skills to contribute to the health and welfare of the national dairy herd.”

Sabrina Jordan, farm product manager at Virbac, added: “Once again, the standard of nominations into this category was outstanding, with the winner and highly commended nominees both set to make a hugely positive contribution to the veterinary care of dairy herds in the future.”