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Full McKelvey Report remains unpublished
The Information Commissioner has ruled that the RCVS's decision not to disclose the full contents of the McKelvey report was the right course of action.

The BVA, who made the request that the full report be made available after a redacted version was published in November 2011, will not be appealing the decision.

The McKelvey report came as a blow to the RCVS, as the exposure of many weaknesses in governance and considerable overspends intensified the sense of disconnection between the veterinary profession and its regulatory body.

The longevity of discussion generated by the report is testament to the strong feelings of members of the veterinary profession who believed the full report should have been made accessible -  especially after it was recently revealed that the IT systems, which cost around half a million pounds of members' money, is unsuitable and will soon need replacing.

Of the decision, Carl Padgett, President of the BVA, commented: “Given the strength of feeling expressed by our members on the issue of the overspends we felt it was right to try to obtain as much information as possible, but we accept the Information Commissioner’s decision and will not be appealing."

With the contents of the full report now set to remain a mystery, it is to be hoped that the lessons learned from its recommendations have been taken fully on board, and that the McKelvey report can finally be laid to rest. 

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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
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.