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Ex-BVA President criticises non-stun slaughter
Professor Bill Reilly calls current situation 'unacceptable'

Professor Bill Reilly, formerly President of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), has criticised the rise in the number of animals slaughtered without prior stunning. UK and EU legislation does allow a derogation in the requirement to stun animals prior to slaughter in accordance with religious requirements for kosher or halal meat, but Prof Reilly argues that supply is not proportionate to demand on religious grounds alone and argues that such a state of affairs is “a serious abuse of the non-stun derogation”.

Writing in the Veterinary Record (Vol 170/No 18, May 5th 2012), Prof Reilly notes “the convenience of not operating a separate Halal processing line” to an abattoir and states that "In my view, the current situation is not acceptable and, if we cannot eliminate non-stunning, we need to keep it to the minimum. This means restricting the use of halal and kosher meat to those communities that require it for their religious beliefs and, where possible, convincing them of the acceptability of the stunned alternatives."

Prof Reilly's calls for reforms have prompted responses from the Jewish and Muslim communities. Commenting, Shimon Cohen of Shechita UK stated that “The fact is there is no conclusive scientific evidence to support his arguments at all...If he is truly concerned about animal welfare, his time would be better spent campaigning against the so called 'humane' methods of mechanical stunning including captive bolt shooting, gassing, electrocution, drowning and clubbing, not to mention the many millions of animals who are 'mis-stunned' every year."

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RUMA CA&E extends survey deadline

News Story 1
 RUMA CA&E has extended the deadline for its online survey into vaccine availability.

Vets, SQPs, retailers and wholesalers will now have until Friday, 26 September at 5pm to submit their response.

The survey aims to further understanding into the vaccine supply challenges faced by the sector. It will also consider the short and long term impacts of disruption issues.

Insights are anonymous, and will be shared with industry stakeholders and government bodies.

The survey can be accessed here

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA publishes Guide to Nutrition in Small Animal Practice

The BSAVA has added a small animal nutrition advice booklet to its series of BSAVA guides.

The BSAVA Guide to Nutrition in Small Animal Practice offers a resource for veterinary professionals to provide appropriate nutrition for animals. As well as maintaining the wellbeing of healthy pets, the guide explores how nutritional requirements change in times of illness and disease.

The guide is divided into five sections, which explore the importance of nutritional assessment; diet types; feeding at different life stages; feeding for specific situations; and feeding for specific diseases. Online resources are also in the BSAVA Library including client handouts and videos.

It is designed to be suitable for referencing, in-depth case planning and team training sessions.

The BSAVA Guide to Nutrition in Small Animal Practice can be purchased online from the BSAVA store.