Opinions on training and revalidation system for Official Veterinarians being sought

Official Veterinarians (OV’s) are private practice veterinarians who perform work required by law on behalf of an EU member state, frequently at public expense. They are a critical section of the veterinary workforce, but are experiencing issues with the current training and revalidation process pointing to time, cost, a lack of relevance and duplication of learning across different modules as reasons why they are choosing not to renew their qualifications.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is conducting a survey to ascertain what qualifications OVs currently hold or previously held, and to find out whether OVs have decided not to renew a particular qualification rather than revalidating it, and if so why. The BVA will take the results of the survey to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) with suggestions as to how to change the system to ensure it is fit for purpose.

John Fishwick, BVA President said: ““We are already aware that this area is facing significant challenges as Brexit is likely to drive up demand for product certification. It is particularly worrying to hear that members are finding the system both frustrating and resource-intensive. Losing skilled professionals now at a time when they are needed most would be a real waste of specialist knowledge and could leave gaps in the UK’s provision for responding to disease outbreaks and meeting export certification needs post-Brexit. We understand and support the need to keep veterinary skills up to date, but the process for demonstrating this must be straightforward and proportionate. BVA will ensure that all insights offered by respondents are raised with APHA with the aim of getting the system right for OVs working in the UK both now and in the future.”