Supplementary Memorandum submitted by
Mr Mike Christian BVM&S, MRCVS (W15(a))
I am writing to express my dismay at the complacency
of Mr Morley and his senior veterinary advisors in their statements
to you at the recent sub-committee hearing.
I have read the transcripts and there are several
factual points 1 would like to clarify.
Firstly, an impression was given that there
are 7,000 LVI's (Local Veterinary Inspectors) in general practice
who are working hard on behalf of DEFRA on farms. (Question 82
& Q 114). There are approximately 8,500 vets in general practice
according to the Royal College. In the latest Quo Vadis manpower
study 64% never dealt with any farm animals. There may be 7,000
LVI's but the majority only deal with pet animals for import/export
and the PETS scheme.
The Meah Review of Veterinary Surveillance notes
there are only 350 practices that regularly submit samples to
the Veterinary Laboratory Agency. There are only 454 practices
who have a member of the British Cattle Veterinary Society. The
numbers of vets on the ground doing large animal work is much
less than indicated in your hearing!
This is the situation at the moment.
In the latest survey 60% of the practices had
less than the recommended "critical mass" of 3 vets
FTE (Full Time Equivalents) doing large animal work. This means
the practice will have problems recruiting and training new graduates,
and is probably not viable in the long term.
Secondly the effect of the Competition Inquiry
will have a profound effect on veterinary services. (Question
125 &ft)
Our own experience of employing locums to help
with the backlog in TB testing (one last spring and one this spring).
After paying their direct costs of travel and wages the practice
made a gross profit of only a few hundred pounds. This would have
had to pay for the costs of managing them, all our overheads,
lay staff etc if we were not making money from the sales of pharmaceuticals.
The Competition Inquiry says we should charge for our professional
fees directly, which will make the costs of those fees totally
uneconomic for the farmers.
Paradoxically it is those who rely extensively
on farm practice (In rural Cumbria Question 141) that will be
initially worst affected. There will be a temptation to cross
subsidise from the small animal side of the veterinary practice
to the farm animal side, to put off taking the hard decisions.
Most large animal practitioners enjoy the farm side more and are
already in many places where the farm side is marginal is carried
on more for pleasure than profit.
(Question 179). In February 2000 I spoke to
Richard Drummond, then the RVO at an excellent meeting on the
increased risk of EMI) entering the UK put on by the SVS, where
we discussed the forthcoming LVI Intranet, which was being rolled
out that summer. We await it still.
(Question 157). The Northumberland Report addressed
the issue of the recruitment to the SVS in its report. Like many
of its other recommendations MAFF/DEFRA did not act on it.
In conclusion I hope that someone will have
the common sense to see the complacency in DEFRA and the SVS.
There is now a proposal by DEFRA to remove TB testing from Veterinary
Practice, which will add to the economic woes of practice. 1 remember
in March 2001 while on secondment to the Carlisle DECC, being
told that FMD is under control. I now see Mr Scudamore says he
does not know what the impact of removing a large part of the
income of veterinary practice will be. I feel the same sense of
despair that Page Street does not know what is going on in the
real rural world.
Unfortunately it will not be Mr Scudamore but
his successor or their political leaders, that will have the problem
of how to meet the challenge of ensuring veterinary cover for
the agricultural sector both in the day to day and in the event
of a disease outbreak.
My view is that farm animal veterinary practice
is going to contract radically in the next five years, and as
Mr Scudamore puts it I have made the "economic decision"
to leave. I am not the first, and will soon be followed by a large
number of others.
I hope that your committee will help to prove
me wrong.
8 July 2003
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