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RCVS publishes recording of ‘under care’ webinar
The RCVS is making available a range of resources explaining the new 'under care' guidance.
A second webinar is also planned on the topic.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has published a recording of its recent webinar on the new ‘under care’ guidance to help explain what the changes will mean for veterinary professionals.

The webinar, which took place on Thursday, 15 June, gave an overview of the key changes. It also looked at how the guidance will be enforced and explored issues around prescribing prescription-only veterinary medicines (POM-Vs) to animals ‘under care’ remotely.

To further explain the changes, the RCVS has also published a collection of practice-based scenarios to help veterinary professionals understand how to apply the new guidance in a variety of different circumstances.

Under the new rules, it will no longer be a requirement for a veterinary surgeon to conduct a physical examination before prescribing POM-Vs to an animal under their care. The changes will come into force from 1 September 2023.

RCVS president Melissa Donald chaired the webinar, and was joined by a panel comprising standards committee chair Linda Belton, RCVS registrar Eleanor Ferguson, and RCVS head of standards Gemma Kingswell. 

The webinar proved so popular that it was over-subscribed. A second webinar on the topic is planned for Monday, 17 July, with priority for attendance being given to those who wished to attend the June webinar but were unable to get a place in the audience.

Ms Ferguson said: “Thank you to all those members of the professions who took part in this very well-attended event in order to find out more about the new under care guidance and its implications in terms of the remote prescribing of POM-Vs ahead of its implementation from 1 September this year.
 
“We have also now published a range of practice-based scenarios to help explain how the new guidance should be followed in various circumstances, and in relation to different species. These scenarios cover a variety of different situations, including how the guidance applies to two or more practices with mutual clients, consultancy services and the prescription of long-term controlled drugs.”

Both the recording of the webinar and the scenarios are available to view on the RCVS website.

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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. 

Click here for more...
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.