13 Mar 2020
“…the organisation now feels that public concern and personal safety is too great for the event to go ahead" – BSAVA.
David Woodmansey
Job Title
BSAVA Congress – the largest small animal veterinary event in Europe – has been cancelled.
The announcement, made today (13 March), makes the event the highest-profile veterinary casualty of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
It is the first time in the event’s more than 60-year history that congress has been cancelled. It even survived the UK foot-and-mouth outbreak, although in restricted format.
The event – scheduled to be held at the Birmingham ICC and Arena Birmingham from 2 to 5 April – would have been the 30th and final in the city before moving to Manchester in 2021.
A brief statement from BSAVA announcing the annual vet event was off read: “Due to the growing concerns caused by the continued global spread of COVID-19, BSAVA has announced the decision to cancel Congress 2020, which was due to take place in Birmingham in April.
“Acknowledging the significant role that congress plays in the veterinary calendar, BSAVA has delayed this decision as far as possible, following Government advice that large public gatherings do not need to be cancelled. However, the organisation now feels that public concern and personal safety is too great for the event to go ahead.”
BSAVA president Sue Paterson said: “It is with great regret that we have made the difficult decision to cancel congress, which has taken place annually for more than 60 years. Congress is an incredibly important event in the veterinary calendar, and we were all looking forward to an inspiring agenda and saying a fond farewell to the city that has made congress such a great success over so many years.
“The health and well-being of our attendees is of utmost importance to us, and while we are sorry to be making this decision, we are confident it is the right one.”
