31 Jan 2023
Hundreds of delegates headed to Birmingham for the organisation’s first annual gathering since 2020.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Secretary general Bryan Lovegrove addresses the AHDA Conference in Birmingham.
More than 400 delegates have attended a major industry conference as it returned to the calendar for the first time in three years.
Dozens of firms and leading industry bodies were also represented during the two-day Animal Health Distributors Association (AHDA) gathering in Birmingham.
Key speakers included the VMD’s head of inspections and enforcement John Millward, and Jonathan Statham, chairperson of the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England.
AHDA secretary general Bryan Lovegrove said: “It was great to come back together after a lengthy break.
“The conference was clearly missed by many, and the depth of conversation and engagement over the two days demonstrated strength and ability for the future of the industry.”
The conference theme was “Working for Positive Change”, which followed on from its focus on enhancing responsible prescribing over the past year.
Mr Lovegrove said: “In raising awareness of the challenges faced by those prescribing animal medicines – particularly anthelmintic resistance – and by focusing on it at this year’s conference, we were able to bring real scenarios to life in the workshops.
“This encouraged some thoughtful and engaging conversation, and will help prescribers to pass this best practice on to the end users – their customers – so they can better understand the topic.”
The conference schedule also included a gala dinner which featured the presentation of the annual Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority awards. Daniel Male was the overall winner, receiving both the AHDA Cup and the award for leading all-species RAMA student.
AHDA’s 2024 conference is scheduled to take place on 22 and 23 January.
