For the veterinary industry, 2013 saw a number of significant achievements, changes and debates. Featuring prominently were issues such as bovine TB (bTB), vet schools, antimicrobial resistance and the horse meat scandal; yet 2013 was a year of positive change. As well as a number of important vaccine breakthroughs, the introduction of compulsory dog microchipping was hailed a giant leap forward for dog welfare.
Surplus veterinary graduates due to too many vet schools has been a primary concern over the past year, following the University of Surrey's announcement in 2012 that it was to build a new vet school. Fears were fuelled when the University of Ulster and Aberystwyth University also revealed they were considering offering veterinary degrees. A debate held at the BVA Congress in November 2013 highlighted a number of concerns felt within the profession, including salary dips, longer waiting lists for EMS placements and declining job satisfaction due to graduates being forced into non-clinical roles.
Antimicrobial resistance was another pervading issue of 2013. Chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies referred to resistance as a “ticking time bomb”, blaming overuse of antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine, combined with a lack of new drugs. Urging the government to take the issue seriously, Dame Sally warned that routine operations could become deadly within 20 years.
2013 was a year of positive change. 
Provision of 24-hour emergency veterinary care (24/7) emerged into the spotlight during 2013, with the RCVS launching an inquiry in December. According to the college, lay observers sitting on the RCVS Preliminary Investigation Committee have questioned the profession's ability to provide 24/7 to the extent required by the Code of Professional Conduct.
Another issue to receive much attention in the media during 2013 was that of bTB. An action plan to stamp out the disease in England by 2038 was introduced by Defra secretary Owen Paterson. Steps to be considered included disease surveillance, pre- and post-movement cattle testing, a cattle vaccine against bTB and deployment of an oral badger vaccination. 2013 marked the start of pilot badger culling in Somerset and Gloucestershire, both of which caused considerable controversy and fell short of their targets.
In the early part of 2013, both the veterinary and general press was dominated by news of the horse meat scandal, after products labelled as beef were found to contain horse meat. Further testing found a small number of horse carcasses set for human consumption tested positive for the veterinary drug phenylbutazone, which can be harmful to human health. The scandal sparked calls for a major overhaul of the Horse Passport System, due to fears regarding its efficacy and vulnerability to fraud.
Summer 2013 marked a turning point in the veterinary nursing profession, as Suffolk-based awarding body, Central Qualifications (CQ), announced the first set of students to be awarded the CQ Diploma in Veterinary Nursing (DipVN). The students, who qualified from Bicton College in Devon and Abbeydale Vetlink Veterinary Training Ltd in Monmouth, were the first vocationally trained veterinary nurses to be able to use the DipVN post-nominal letters, which were selected by CQ to recognise candidates' high level of achievement.
Acting upon these fears, the BSAVA urged Public Health England to consider the rabies risk to frontline veterinary staff, calling for the introduction of pre-exposure vaccinations.
Out of control dogs featured significantly in the news last year, following calls for government action on dog control and welfare. A draft amendment to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 proposed a number of changes to current legislation, such as making it a criminal offence for owners to allow their dogs to kill or injure assistance dogs, or to be dangerously out of control on private property. While these measures were largely welcomed by veterinary organisations and animal welfare charities, some concerns were raised, particularly over breed-specific legislation, which it is feared makes status symbols of particular breeds, which are then bred and trained for aggression by unscrupulous owners.
Changes to the law in 2013 mean it will soon be a legal requirement for dog owners in England and Wales to microchip their pet. The law will come into force in England from April 2016 and March 2015 in Wales. Towards the end of 2013, the Scottish government also launched a consultation on dog microchipping. Veterinary organisations and animal welfare charities alike hailed the move as a leap forward in dog welfare.
During 2013, attention was increasingly directed toward the welfare of exotic pets. The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) called for European authorities to draft suitability lists for species that can be kept as pets. 2013 also saw the launch of EMODE, a tool created by a team of vets, scientists and technicians to assess the suitability of a range of animals as pets. Furthermore, in December, MPs launched an inquiry into primates kept as pets, seeking evidence on the extent of primate keeping and trade in the UK, the efficacy of current legislation and the possible implementation of a ban.
2013 was a year of developments when it comes to vaccines. MSD Animal Health introduced a tetravalent vaccine in Europe offering broader protection against leptospirosis. Additionally, methodology was developed to create a new synthetic vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease (FMDV), making it much safer and more cost effective to produce and store, as the vaccine does not rely on growing the live virus.
Finally, in summer 2013, UK farmers became the first in Europe to benefit from Bovilis SBV – a new vaccine against schmallenberg virus (SBV).
Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.
