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BVA updates hazardous waste guide
Legislative changes prompt revised edition

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has updated its 'Good Practice Guide to Handling Veterinary Waste' to take account of changing legislation in England and Wales. Similar advice for Scotland and Northern Ireland will be available in due course.

Sanctioned by the Environment Agency, the Guide includes a quick-reference poster designed to help veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses categorise and segregate potentially hazardous veterinary waste in accordance with the latest Environment Agency requirements. The poster classifies the varying types of hazardous waste, clarifies the types of containers required and confirms the appropriate classification codes.

Commenting, BVA President Carl Padgett said “All businesses have a duty of care to ensure that all waste is stored and disposed of responsibly, that it is only handled or dealt with by those authorised to do so and that appropriate records are kept of all waste that is transferred or received. The BVA Guide has been a popular resource for the profession since we first launched it in 2008 making it considerably easier for vets to comply with Hazardous Waste Regulations. The revised poster is hopefully an incentive for practices to check if their requirements have changed and ensure they’re still up-to-date.”

The Guide is released alongside online guidance which goes into greater detail and can be downloaded. The hazardous waste poster and web advice are available at http://www.bva.co.uk/activity_and_advice/1641.aspx.

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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. 

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News Shorts
RCVS annual renewal fee for vets due

RCVS' annual renewal fee for veterinary surgeons is now due. Vets must pay their renewal fee before Wednesday, 1 April 2026.

This year's standard annual fee has increased to 431 from last year's 418. This is an approximately three per cent increase, as approved by RCVS Council and the Privy Council.

Tshidi Gardner, RCVS treasurer, said: "The small fee increase will be used to help deliver both our everyday activities and our new ambitious Strategic Plan, which includes aims such as achieving new legislation, reviewing the Codes of Professional Conduct and supporting guidance, and continuing to support the professions through activities such as the Mind Matters Initiative, RCVS Academy and career development."

A full breakdown of the new fees is on the RCVS website. Information about tax relief is available on the UK government website.