Secretary of state pledges commitment to vets
Last year, the APHA (formerly AHVLA) closed seven of its 14 veterinary surveillance centres.
Liz Truss, secretary of state, has pledged to protect the number of frontline vets in the UK. While the BVA has welcomed this commitment, it is urging the government to maintain veterinary surveillance and animal health and welfare services.
In her speech to the Oxford Farming Conference, Ms Truss said: "Protecting our country from animal and plant disease is a top priority for me.
"Although Defra has had to implement savings, as have many areas of government, due to the terrible financial situation we have found the country in, I have been very clear that the number of frontline vets must be protected...
"I am determined we maintain our world-class disease science capability at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)."
Last year, the APHA (formerly AHVLA) closed seven of its 14 veterinary surveillance centres in Newcastle, Luddington, Langford, Preston, Sutton Bonington, Aberystwyth and Truro.
BVA's president John Blackwell welcomed Ms Truss' speech, but added: "We do, however, urge that this commitment is backed by adequate resource to ensure that vets critical work in animal disease prevention, detection and monitoring is in no way undermined and that surveillance systems remain fit-for-purpose following laboratory closures in 2014."
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
