Latest news with #ElizabethMullineaux
Agriland
19-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Questions raised on ‘access' to vet medicines in NI following new EU/UK deal
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) today (Monday, May 19) raised fresh questions on the issue of continued 'access' to veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland following confirmation of a new deal between the EU and the UK. The BVA said it welcomed commitments in the deal on animal welfare and UK biosecurity but voiced its concerns on what it described as the 'absence' of a solution to the Northern Ireland vet medicines issue. Dr. Elizabeth Mullineaux, president of the BVA, said: 'Today's announcements coming out of the EU-UK Summit are good news, striking the right balance between reducing trade friction whilst maintaining the UK's high standards of animal welfare and disease control. 'However, with no clear direction on the issue of access to veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland, which has serious implications not only for animal health and welfare, but also public health, there is still work to do. 'A permanent resolution to this long-standing question is urgently needed and we will continue to press the government for solutions to avoid potentially devastating consequences'. EU/UK deal The deal between the UK and the EU – also designed to cut red tape on food and drink imports and exports – is a 'welcome step', according to the processor-led Dairy UK organisation. Dr. Judith Bryans, chief executive of Dairy UK, said today it was particularly pleased to see a common understanding on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) regulations, which she described as 'a critical and welcome step forward for dairy trade'. 'As our largest and oldest trading partner, unencumbered trade with the EU is incredibly valuable for the dairy and agri-food sector and the ease in administrative requirements will be very welcome for our members,' she added. The SPS agreement, which was announced following the first EU-UK Summit in London, will see the UK and the European Commission 'work towards establishing a Common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area'. The post-Brexit deal has been described as a 'new chapter' for the UK/EU relationship and will kick start talks on a range of wider issues including security, defence and fishing access. According to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) the EU remains the UK's most important market for agri-food exports. It believes that any agreement that lowers trade friction, smoothing trade between the UK and the EU 'would be good news for UK agricultural exporters.' 'Strengthening market access will benefit UK meat exporters, support food supply chain resilience, and reinforce the UK's position as a key trading partner with the EU,' Ouafa Doxon, AHDB head of market access, said today. European Council President António Costa, UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer and European Commission President,Ursula von der Leyen Source: European Union Meanwhile the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC), which is the supply industry's leading trade association, said it also welcomed confirmation that an SPS is to be established. In a statement it said that 'divergence and duplication of SPS approaches have caused frequent, frustrating and unpredictable barriers at borders in both directions' which it said had impacted the trade of vital agricultural goods. 'This has often led to increased complexity, delays, and costs for AIC businesses exporting and importing goods between Great Britain, the EU, and Northern Ireland,' it added. However the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) remained unconvinced by details of the new deal. Its president Victoria Vyvyan said: 'Although the EU is a key market for UK produce, and lower export costs would help make our goods more competitive for European consumers, signing up to allow the European Court of Justice to impose decisions affecting our goods is an unnecessary surrender of control. 'We need immediate reassurance that the UK will have a voice in the decision-making process in the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement. 'Cutting red tape on food exports and plant and animal health for trade sounds positive if unlikely, but tying us to an agreement that involves European Court of Justice oversight is deeply concerning and could hinder our ability to strike future trade deals with other countries.' Northern Ireland But this is in contrast to food and drink industry leaders in Northern Ireland who have welcomed details of the new EU/ UK deal. Professor Ursula Lavery, chair of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) and technical and research and development director at Pilgrim's Europe, said: 'Since the referendum and in all subsequent negotiations, the priority for food and drink manufacturers in Northern Ireland has been for a durable negotiated solution that maintains frictionless trade and expands the opportunities for our businesses to thrive. 'The food and drink industry in Northern Ireland therefore broadly welcomes today's announcement as a step to potentially easing the administrative burden on businesses here, and helping offset some of the significant on-costs firms have experienced recently, including national insurance rises and extended producer responsibility.'
Times
24-04-2025
- Health
- Times
UK faces shortage of vets after Brexit and boom in pet ownership
Becoming a vet often tops polls of children's dream jobs, yet the UK faces a shortage of qualified veterinary staff. Despite about 60 per cent of households owning animals and 3.2 million pets being bought during lockdown, the number of vets is 10 per cent lower than needed to meet national demand. Brexit rule changes saw the number of European vets coming to the UK drop by 68 per cent, so national vet bodies are urging more young people to consider animal care as a career. 'The veterinary profession is very diverse', says Elizabeth Mullineaux, president of the British Veterinary Association. 'As well as caring for the nation's pets, vets support farmers, others work as governments vets, supporting international trade as well as protecting
BBC News
10-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Animal medicine NI: Concern over lack of agreement post-Brexit
A House of Lords committee has written to the government amid continuing concern about the supply of veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland Northern Ireland scrutiny committee says it has "further questions" that have not been addressed in human medicines are covered by the Windsor Framework, animal medicines are instead subject to an extended grace period that expires at the end of this British Veterinary Association (BVA) has warned that a failure to reach an agreement could have "potentially devastating consequences". The letter to Thomas Symonds, the minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations, asks for "urgent clarity" on matters including what adjustments are being made to ensure supply of veterinary medicines and what the government's current assessment is of products at risk of discontinuation. The BVA has said it does not believe agreement will be achieved within the remaining grace president Elizabeth Mullineaux said: "A veterinary agreement with the EU could have an incredibly positive impact on so many different areas of concern, but in particular, could finally lead to a permanent resolution to the long-standing question of future access to vital veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland."Without a solution, there are serious implications not only for animal health and welfare, but also for public health."The BVA has proposed a series of short-term solutions and mitigations while negotiations include re-routing supply through the Republic of Ireland, creating exceptions for medicines that were aligned with regulation pre-Brexit and developing a special import certificate to allow the import of medicines from outside the European Economic Northern Ireland scrutiny committee was appointed in January 2025, after the dissolution of the former Windsor Framework Sub-Committee at the end of the last examines the Windsor Framework, complementing the work of the Democratic Scrutiny Committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.
The Guardian
18-02-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
How can you treat your pet for fleas without harming nature?
The chemicals used in standard flea treatments are polluting waterways and having a drastic effect on wildlife in the UK, killing songbird chicks. Vets usually advise owners to treat their pets every month or so, even if they do not have fleas, but scientists are now urgently calling for the government to reassess the environmental risk of pesticides used in the treatments and to restrict them. The Guardian has spoken to experts to find out what pet owners can do to prevent a flea infestation while minimising the impact on the environment of regular treatment. Topical flea treatments, often referred to as spot-on products, are capsules of liquid that contain insecticides. They are typically applied at the back of a pet's neck so they do not lick them off, according to Elizabeth Mullineaux, president of the British Veterinary Association. The insecticides are distributed through the grease glands of the coat and into the pet's hair, making it toxic to fleas for one to three months. While there are a range of flea treatments, the two most common are imidacloprid (a neonicotinoid) and fipronil. Both chemicals are banned from outdoor agriculture to prevent the pollution of waterways. While some are available over the counter, flea treatments are often sold as part of pet healthcare plans by vets. Research at the University of Sussex has found that pesticides used in regular flea treatments are in 98% of English rivers, often at levels far higher than those deemed safe. Some of this is from treated dogs swimming, but much goes down the drain from households, (eg from shampooing dogs, washing bedding, stroking and washing hands) and then enters rivers, according to Dave Goulson, professor of biology at Sussex, who co-authored the study and supervised the research. Recent research also found that 100% of blue tit and great tit nests are contaminated with pesticides from pet flea treatment, as the birds collect fur from dogs and cats to insulate their nests. The study, funded by the charity Songbird Survival, found that nestling mortality is associated with higher levels of the pesticides. 'Other products used in flea treatments have not raised the same environmental concerns as fipronil and imidacloprid but we don't necessarily have all the environmental data to say they're absolutely environmentally safe,' said Mullineaux. The most important thing owners should consider is whether their pets need topical treatment and, if so, how often and when, and if there are alternatives, say experts. Mullineaux said: 'Speak to your vet about the best way to use the products for your pet, and your circumstances and risk level. For example, the sorts of questions we might ask you are how much a pet goes outside, if you have other pets, if anyone in the household is particularly medically vulnerable, and what your pet's lifestyle is like – whether it swims or goes for doggy daycare, or whether you need to wash and groom it a lot. 'We strongly encourage vets and owners to take a risk-based approach to prescribing or recommending these medicines, reflecting an animal's exposure to parasites.' If spot-on products are considered the only appropriate form of treatment, you should brush your pet indoors or in a sheltered area where you can gather the hair afterwards and dispose of it in a sealed bag. 'What we don't want is the hair blowing away and birds collecting it up as nesting material. I think a lot of us have probably thought that was kind of quite a nice thing for birds to do but clearly it really isn't if the hair is contaminated with chemicals,' said Millineaux. It is also important to take care of packaging material, particularly from spot-on products. 'I've heard horror stories of people washing out the little containers, which obviously do contaminate water,' added Millineaux. 'What we want to be doing is not washing them out but disposing them of them in something like a seal bag and following any manufacturers guidelines.' Washing is discouraged for several days after treatments, owing to the risk of product getting into waterways. There are plenty of suggestions for alternative methods of treatment – lavender oil, vinegar, rosemary oil, etc – but scientific evidence for their efficacy is scant, and some essential oils can be toxic for dogs. 'When I've seen people trying to use these things, they can actually end up with massive flea infestations, which result in us using even more chemicals on both the pet, but also having to use it around the house as well,' said Millineaux. While there are still concerns over the environmental impact of oral medication for flea prevention, Ed Bailey, chair of Vet Sustain, an organisation that supports vets to change towards a more sustainable future, said there may still be a better alternative to spot-on treatments. 'You might choose to use an oral product rather than a topical product to avoid the risk that we're seeing with some of this emerging research … the two big bits of research that have come out recently are about ficronil and imidacloprid in wastewater, and were associated with owners stroking their pets and then washing their hands or washing bedding or directly washing the animal within the home and then [the product] going into wastewater.' Injectable products can also be used as a more environmentally friendly alternative to spot-on treatments. Liz Broadbelt, a retired vet from Ceredigion, advises cat owners to use injections that offer six-month-long prevention and control of flea infestation. 'I have two cats. They are indoor and outdoor and, for many years, I have used injections every six months to control fleas. This is not an insecticide and works by blocking the development of flea eggs into adults. It doesn't kill adult fleas. The main problem with flea infestation is the production of hundreds of flea eggs in the environment. I think this is a much more environmentally friendly way to control fleas, since it does not affect other invertebrates.' If you don't want to treat your pet at all, then washing it weekly, washing the bedding, and vacuuming your house can be beneficial to remove flea eggs, Bailey says. 'The advice would be around treating your pets in a more similar way to treating your children, in that you would check your kids for nits. You would use a nit comb but you don't treat the kids every month for nits regardless of whether they have it. A flea comb can be beneficial for assessing whether or not there is an infestation present.'
