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Full McKelvey Report remains unpublished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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Submissions open for BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026

News Story 1
 The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.

It is an opportunity for applicants to present new research on any veterinary subject, such as the preliminary results of a study, discussion of a new technique or a description of an interesting case.

They must be based on high-quality clinical research conducted in industry, practice or academia, and summarised in 250 words.

Applications are welcome from vets, vet nurses, practice managers, and students.

Submissions are open until 6 March 2026. 

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News Shorts
Survey seeks ruminant sector views on antimicrobial stewardship

A new survey is seeking views of people working in the UK ruminant sector on how to tackle the challenge of demonstrating responsible antibiotic stewardship.

Forming part of a wider, collaborative initiative, the results will help identify the types of data available so that challenges with data collection can be better understood and addressed.

Anyone working in the UK farming sector, including vets and farmers,is encouraged to complete the survey, which is available at app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk