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Participants sought for stress management study
The project will examine the use of stress management practice and organisational wellbeing initiatives.
The MMI-funded project will identify wellbeing opportunities for vets.

Researchers have called for participants to join a new study into stress management within veterinary work.

Prof Elinor O’Connor and Dr Kevin Teoh will conduct the project, funded by RCVS’ Mind Matters Initiative (MMI), to identify how stress management initiatives are incorporated on an organisational level in veterinary settings. The project is funded by the MMI’s Mind Matters Impact Grant, which was awarded to the researchers in 2025.

The project will examine the use of stress management practices, used to develop a worker’s ability to cope with stress, as well as organisational wellbeing initiatives.

These organisational initiatives intend to target the source of stress within the workplace. This includes changes to how work is arranged and managed, such as rota systems, workload management and team support.

It will be led by Prof O’Connor, professor of work psychology at the University of Manchester’s Alliance Manchester Business School, and Dr Teoh, senior lecturer in organisational psychology at Birkbeck, University of London.

The main focus of the study will be on organisational wellbeing initiatives, with the aim of examining stress management in relation to veterinary work. The researchers wish to hear examples of organisational stress management and wellbeing initiatives implemented into the veterinary workplace.

Participants are invited if they have worked in the UK veterinary sector, and have been involved with an organisational wellbeing initiative in the past three years. Participation is open to any role in the veterinary sector, including clinical staff, animal care assistants and receptionists.

The research will involve an online, individual interview, lasting approximately an hour at a time convenient to the participant. It is entirely confidential and has been approved by the University of Manchester’s Research Ethics Committee.

Those interested can email elinor.oconnor@manchester.ac.uk for more information.

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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...
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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.