New deputy chief veterinary officers appointed
Chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss welcomed two new deputy CVOs.
Two new deputy chief veterinary officers (CVOs) have been appointed to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Ele Brown has been chosen as deputy CVO for national, domestic and exotic diseases, while Jorge Martin-Almagro will serve as deputy CVO for international and trade affairs on an interim basis pending formal recruitment of the role.
Ele Brown is an experienced veterinary surgeon, who has a background in infectious disease control. Dr Brown worked in mixed practice in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire before joining the Government Veterinary Service, and also serves as deputy director for the bovine TB programme.
Jorge Martin-Almagro is also an experienced veterinary surgeon, and has worked in teams across Defra Group and the Food Standards Agency. He is also interim deputy director for global animal health and trade.
Dr Martin-Almagro has led multidisciplinary teams, worked in International Trade Policy Affairs and worked as a frontline veterinary surgeon involving official controls from farm to fork.
The deputy CVOs were welcomed by chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss, who said: “I am delighted to be working with Ele and Jorge. I am confident that they will help meet the challenges we face and provide excellent support to me and others on veterinary and technical issues.
“Their appointments come at what is a very important time for Defra and the UK Government, as we manage our biggest outbreak of avian influenza and develop further market access opportunities. They will both be a great asset to me providing veterinary senior leadership team in the Defra group.”
The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.
