The Scottish government has announced plans to create a new Scottish Veterinary Service (SVS) within the lifetime of the current Parliament.
The new service, which was announced by Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon at NFU Scotland’s AGM last month, will replace field animal health and welfare functions currently delivered by the Animal and Plant Health Agency in Scotland.
The Scottish Government has said that it will strengthen delivery of tasks in a range of areas including disease control, as well as helping to create more opportunities for young people in Scotland who want to follow careers in veterinary, animal health and food safety services.
Gougeon said: “For a range of reasons – Brexit among them – we do not have enough of the right people with the right qualifications. The SVS will help us create opportunities for more young people in Scotland to want to pursue rewarding careers in veterinary, animal health and food safety services.”
Romain Pizzi, the British Veterinary Association’s (BVA) Scottish branch president, welcomed the proposal, but said that it was important that vets were able to shape the plans.
He said: “We see advantages and potential risks in the creation of a new Scottish Veterinary Service.
“In Scotland we pride ourselves on high welfare, high quality agricultural produce so there are real opportunities for a more Scotland-centric approach that can really focus on our own animal health and welfare priorities.
“But we know that diseases and animal welfare problems don’t respect borders, and so it will be critical that there are systems in place for a new service to collaborate and liaise with the rest of the UK, and beyond, on disease surveillance, data collection, and information sharing.”
