18 Oct 2022
The BVA president has warned plans to only guarantee energy price support through the winter could force owners into “difficult decisions”.
Allister Webb
Job Title
UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s latest energy cost announcement has been met with disappointment by the vet sector. Image © Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street
The Government must act to prevent an “emerging crisis” of animal welfare and industry sustainability linked to current economic problems, BVA president Malcolm Morley has warned.
His plea came after the new chancellor Jeremy Hunt signalled a major scaling back of support for domestic energy costs, with no firm plans for business help either.
Help for householders will continue through the winter, but a new review is set to consider what support can be offered from next April onwards.
The new plan slashes the two-year period of support proposed by Mr Hunt’s predecessor at the Treasury, Kwasi Kwarteng, but does bring it into line with the six-month support package currently on offer to businesses.
In a statement to MPs yesterday (17 October), Mr Hunt said it would be irresponsible to expose the public finances to “unlimited volatility in international gas prices” beyond April.
He added: “Any support for businesses will be targeted to those most affected. And the new approach will better incentivise energy efficiency.”
But Dr Morley, who previously warned Mr Kwarteng that practices could be forced to close without additional support, fears the change of approach will have an impact long before much higher bills start hitting doormats.
He said: “This is disappointing news for vulnerable households and businesses facing uncertain economic times.
“The withdrawal of the Government’s promised medium-term support to tackle rising energy costs will have a significant impact on owners’ confidence in their ability to care for their animals, potentially forcing difficult decisions that could compromise welfare.”
Dr Morley added: “In addition, the lack of medium-term support for vet practices, already stretched by the economic climate, calls into question the sustainability of the profession, which is a key component to UK food security and international trade.
“At the BVA, we would urge the Government to consider what more it can do to help avert this emerging crisis.”
The comments come days after Dr Morley told the BVA’s Northern Ireland dinner that the industry is being “stretched to breaking point” by the economic crisis and its effect on animal welfare.
