"It is always fantastic to see a veterinary professional represented in the New Year Honours" - RCVS president Linda Belton. 

The recipients include Dr Amanda Jean Carson MRCVS.

The New Year Honours list, unveiled last week (30 December), highlights contributions from the animal health and welfare sector, spanning achievements from disease surveillance and prevention to services to One Health research.

Sheep vet Dr Amanda Jean Carson MRCVS received an MBE for services to farming and the protection of rare breeds via her work for the Animal Plant and Health Agency, where she was Veterinary Lead for the Small Ruminant Expert Group. She served as president of the Sheep Veterinary Society in 2020.

Congratulating Amanda on her award, RCVS president Linda Belton, said: “Many congratulations to Amanda on her well-deserved MBE and for all the work she has done throughout her career at the APHA on disease surveillance, investigation and prevention in the agricultural sector.

“It is always fantastic to see a veterinary professional represented in the New Year Honours as it showcases the contribution our professions make to animal health and welfare, public health and wider society across a range of different fields and disciplines.”

Professor Susan Welburn, Professor of Medical and Veterinary Molecular Epidemiology, received an OBE for services to One Health research and disease elimination. 

Professor Welburn's academic career began in Bristol, after which she moved to Scotland to join the University of Edinburgh. Her projects focus on interventions for disease control, specifically in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia and Tanzania.

She said of her award: “I am deeply honoured with this award that reflects more than 30 years of effort to eliminate human sleeping sickness from Sub-Saharan Africa, one of the most serious of the neglected tropical diseases. This effort has involved more than 65 postgraduate students from both the University of Edinburgh and Makerere University, Uganda and has shown the clear value of One Health Practice, embracing a holistic approach to zoonotic disease elimination.”

Timothy Porter, former chair of veterinary charity Blue Cross, received an OBE for services to animal welfare, while and Barbara Gardner, trustee and treasurer of the RSPCA, received an MBE.

Barbara Gardner, who also founded the Animal Interfaith Alliance, said: “My highlight at the RSPCA was working with Chris Sherwood to turn around the finance and governance and of course working with all the people there who are amazing and so dedicated to animals.

“At the end of the day, it's all for the animals.”