The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has called on the Welsh Government to take action on dog welfare, slaughter and TB at the BVA’s annual dinner in Cardiff City Hall.
At the dinner, which was attended by parliamentarians, representatives from animal health and welfare organisations, and senior members of the veterinary profession, BVA president Carl Padgett expressed his concerns for the future of veterinary laboratories in Wales.
“There is never a good time for a new disease to appear,” he said, “but the emergence of Schmallenberg Virus in northern Europe and England has provided us with a very timely reminder of the acute need for robust national and international surveillance systems.
“The state will always need a core of properly trained, properly motivated, and properly rewarded veterinary surgeons in the event of a notifiable disease outbreak and we would strongly urge against the downgrading of veterinary roles in government, both in terms of individual numbers and in status.”
On dog breeding Padgett said: “Wales needs to tackle its reputation for puppy farming by listening to those experts that came together in the Task and Finish Group.
“In our response to the latest consultation we make the case for not watering down the recommendations on staff to dog ratios – one staff member for 30 adult dogs is insufficient and the Task and Finish Group proposal for one to 20 should be the maximum. We have also repeated our call for a section on hereditary disease and responsible breeding.”
