BEVA has been working with lantra, the BVA and the BVDA for
the last six months to develop national occupation standards for equine dental
technicians. These NOS are a useful and
practical stepping-stone to the development of an exemption order, to enable
EDTs to practice legally. After pages of
paper and hours of work, the NOS have been agreed and signed off by the
veterinary and the EDT organisations, however it now looks like these can't be
published because some of the techniques we'd like to deregulate to EDTs are
essentially illegal. Whilst it feels
like all that effort as been in vain, we hope to use this to pressure the minor
procedure project board at DEFRA to hasten the implementation of an exemption
order. We would also prefer a situation
where anyone (including those who practice category 1 procedures) have to be
trained and qualified to do so.
I had the pleasure of meeting those behind the new
veterinary school at Surrey yesterday.
We do have some real concerns about the oversupply of veterinary
surgeons in equine practice and whilst I made this clear to them yesterday,
there is no getting away from the vision and determination of the Surrey team
to produce high quality veterinary graduates for veterinary practice. Whether a new veterinary school is required
in the UK is open to debate.
I had an interesting meeting with the RCVS and the BHA
about the firing of horses' tendons before Christmas and BEVA is planning to
get some practitioners of thermocautery around a table to discuss the future of
the procedure.
K.Chandler
BEVA President
