Lobbying
In this section you can find out more the British Veterinary Association (BVA) lobbying activities
When lobbying, the profession needs to speak with one voice and through the BVA it does.
Maintaining and enhancing a positive image of the veterinary profession is a key objective of the BVA’s lobbying process.
Who is involved
A network of parliamentary honorary associates and honorary members help BVA to make the veterinary voice heard. We now have a record number of honorary associates, including Members of European Parliament (MEPs) who help to ensure that BVA can continue promoting and protecting the profession.
BVA Officers in particular have been tirelessly networking to build a strong platform from which to speak. They are in regular contact with colleagues worldwide and in attendance at regional, European and world-wide meetings, UK stakeholder meetings and government working parties as well as providing ongoing comment for parliamentary enquiries and the specialist and national media.
We are particularly appreciative of our divisions active support for our efforts, and for their growing impact on their specialist or local interests.
By virtue of the BVA’s membership of the Blue Chip Animal Welfare Group, Dogs Legislation Advisory Group and Pet Advisory Committee BVA is involved in a number of lobbying activities including legislation to replace the current Dangerous Dogs Act.
Briefings to UK parliamentarians
We send our weekly view on issues affecting the profession to BVA parliamentary honorary associates, including Members of the House of Lords, MPs, MEPs and MSPs as a means of keeping in regular contact.
In addition to briefings - via telephone, email or face to face meetings – we also copy Honorary Associates in on
Briefings to European parliamentarians
BVA honorary associate MEPs receive the same information as all other honorary associates but are also, of course, lobbied via and by the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) direct.
Our main thrust with MEPs and the wider European Parliament and Commission recently was lobbying for the ban on the wild caught bird trade.
Our European consultant provides regular updates on our lobbying activities on our BVA in Europe pages.
BVA lobbying events
We invite all London based honorary associates to the annual honorary associates’ dinner, the annual BVA and BVA AWF parliamentary receptions and to the BVA Christmas Party.
Our major lobbying platform with the devolved administrations continues to be the highly successful BVA dinners in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. We invite key stakeholders including the chief veterinary officers to these dinners and Ministers regularly give the key note after-dinner speech.
You can find the BVA President’s dinner speeches in our news release section.