BVA president hails licensing scheme, but issues funding warning

The BVA president has praised moves to license dog breeding establishments in Wales, but warned more secure funding is needed to continue its progress.

Anna Judson highlighted the Animal Licensing Project Wales, among other initiatives, as she addressed guests at the association’s annual Welsh branch dinner in Cardiff on 26 June.

The initiative, which seeks to ensure breeding operations are run to a high standard, is part of a wider welfare programme that is also delivering training to local officials.

Funding

Dr Judson said the project, which BVA officials have supported, had achieved “considerable success to date”.

But she added: “To develop it further, more sustainable funding is required so that it can become a benchmarking organisation and standardise practice across Wales. We ask for your support in achieving this.”

Dr Judson also backed plans for a compulsory bovine viral diarrhoea eradication programme in Wales, as well as newly implemented rules for CCTV coverage in slaughterhouses.

And she urged guests to support the fight for legislative reform within the veterinary sector, echoing recent comments by her RCVS counterpart Sue Paterson on the weaknesses of present regulation.

Legislation

She said: “While progress is being made, it’s slow, and we hope that the CMA’s investigation will act as a catalyst for this much-needed change.

“It’s simply not possible to build a modern and effective veterinary profession on the foundations of legislation that was created in a different era.”

The event was also told that the BVA would continue its fight for new legislation to ban the use of electronic collars and tackle issues such as livestock worrying and pet imports following next week’s general election.