Council news in brief

Following multiple reports of shortcomings in how the UK safeguards its biosecurity, BVA has launched a body of work to consider this important issue, the President told Council. A meeting had been held with relevant BVA divisions and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) looking at the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement being negotiated between the UK and EU and where this would overlap with biosecurity. The FSA had given ‘useful insight’ into areas where BVA could focus its lobbying efforts. A similar stakeholder meeting with Defra was being planned, which would be followed by a wider stakeholder workshop to determine how best to lobby government to improve how it supports and resources those who work to safeguard biosecurity. The President put on record BVA's thanks to regional representatives Nick Jackson (West Midlands), Kate Sharpe (Yorkshire and Humber), James Taylor (Wales) and Joleen Little (Northern Ireland) who were attending their final meeting of council, having reached the end of their terms of office. BVA was ‘very, very grateful’ to them for their efforts representing their regions and contributing to the council, he said.