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BVNA welcomes Fiona Andrew as new president
Fiona Andrew
Fiona Andrew
Final day of congress sees emotional farewell to Kirstie Shield

Fiona Andrew has become the new president of the BVNA. The handover took place during the BVNA's Annual General Meeting on the final day of the BVNA Congress in Telford.

Fiona describes herself as 'rather unconventional',  given that her first career was not in veterinary nursing. In 2001, Fiona decided to follow her heart and left a job in insurance to enrol on an animal care course. She then went on to study veterinary nursing in Edinburgh and was soon offered full time training at a local practice.

In her first speech as president, Fiona said: "What this [presidency] gives me is a fantastic opportunity to observe the different type of practices - their set up their priorities, their marketing.

"What I find is that really successful client focus and clean practices always have a fantastic, dedicated team of veterinary nurses who believe passionately in caring for their patients and providing the best possible information and advice for their clients."

During her time in presidency, Fiona will continue to work towards the protection of the title of the veterinary nurse and will be raising awareness of the issue of stress and mental illness in the profession.  She also hopes to better represent the student body, and aims to introduce two new seats on the BVNA council for student members.

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

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News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.