BVA North of Ireland Dinner - Presidential Speech
BVA Annual North of Ireland Dinner - Mr David Catlow’s Presidential Speech
Thursday, 26th October 2006
Galgorm Manor, Ballymena
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to welcome you to the annual British Veterinary Association North of Ireland Dinner. As many of you will know this is the first regional event which an incoming BVA President hosts. I would like to say that a new President sharpens his or her teeth here, but as I stand here, I am not sure who is the biter and who is the bitten!
Some of you may have had the good fortune to be able to attend this year’s BVA Congress in London a few weeks ago; if so you will have heard much of Vets, Animal Health and the human factor. It was very thought provoking and if I may I would like to share a few of my thoughts on the human factor with you this evening.
The human factor is an oft forgotten and neglected but very important part of our daily work. Even when we do think of it, it is often in terms of human resource management. But it is much simpler than that, we have forgotten that in humans as in physics any reaction has an equal and opposite reaction. Get it right and it is human resource magic, capable of moving mountains or even satisfying that impossible client; have you ever wondered why that client is impossible? - you guessed it the human factor.
Get it wrong and you wonder why you ever opened your mouth!
Dare I say that there is a lesson here for the CVO and State Veterinary Service, have you ever wondered why veterinary practitioners feel so aggrieved by the perceived attitude shown to them as LVIs or the discontent amongst the profession and farmers with their TB supervisory regime. No one objects to the principles so I would guess it is that old human factor. Do not concentrate on outcomes and ignore the process - without proper process and engagement of real people, the desired outcomes will not be achieved. In Northern Ireland you are fortunate that both vets and their clients in general co-operate well in your TB eradication programme, but don’t take it for granted, nor imagine that legislation and compulsion is the answer; there is a human dimension in such co-operation which needs to be constantly nurtured.
We in the BVA are very much in favour of encouraging and supporting the Government, vets and client relationship. There is a great deal to be gained for all of us in that. I understand that again here in Northern Ireland you already do involve the profession and it’s customers in your Epizootic Disease emergency planning, but remember that in the white hot heat of an outbreak there isn’t the time to form mature relationships that will overcome those unforeseen obstacles and so we argue for even greater communication and integration of veterinary practitioners in contingency planning for Epizootic Disease. I am certain that effort expended now will return a ten fold benefit in the event of an outbreak. I am aware that the EU views the biggest threat to food supply and security in the next 10 years as that from animal disease; the veterinary surgeon has a very obvious king-pin role to play in reducing that risk and government must engage with the veterinary profession now and use one of its greatest assets wisely.
Again in Northern Ireland large animal practice or mixed practice maintains a considerable percentage of the overall profession in the Province. In this you are both different from Great Britain and fortunate in that you are able to maintain such a service to the rural communities you serve. Do not be complacent though - a recent survey commissioned by AVSPNI and NIVA has shown that many mixed practices are not making significant profits - watch and learn from the experiences of your near neighbours!
At BVA Congress, Dame Carol Black challenged the profession to consider the effects of the gender demographics for practice and to build that into our future planning. In that challenge she was not referring to the different capabilities between men and women in the profession, if such exist, but in their different approaches and aspirations in life. I know it is dangerous to generalise but men have an innate tendency to compete and women to care and those differences can influence how they view and respond to their career opportunities. The fact is that there are now almost as many women as men in our profession, and in America there are now more. You can look at almost any organisation, including our own, and you will see that the males predominate at the top of such organisations. There are clearly factors which are maintaining that position and which we are not addressing. Put simply we are failing to get the benefits of almost half of our profession and no profession or organisation can sustain that.
I leave this subject with the plea that the correction of such an imbalance is not about equality and the compulsion that engenders, but it is about diversity and the benefits that embracing that can bring.
I would like to say a few words on the future of Animal Health and Welfare. I understand that you have had a set back in Northern Ireland by the exclusion of a proposal on herd health planning from your Rural Development Plan. I am sorry that that is the situation, especially at a time when such a proposal would have been very much in line with thinking on Animal Health and Welfare in Europe. Scotland has already set the example to follow with its ‘modulation’ funding and even England has announced its intention to spend £6mill ‘pump-priming’- although at the time of writing we are more than 6 months into the first year of that funding and I am not aware of any decisions on how this money might yet be spent! We must continue to spell out the importance and benefits that such initiatives will engender if we are to maintain a vibrant world-class industry.
You may be aware that there is ongoing consultation on the EU Community Animal Health Policy. This an exciting proposal as it brings to the table the lessons learned over years of funding Community animal disease control. Unfortunately only one element of those proposals, cost sharing, seems to have gained any real prominence. But that is just one part of the package. Allied to cost sharing is the concept of moving to a more risk based policy approach, and a greater say in decision making for stakeholders, especially where they share the costs. We are involved in those discussions and look forward to working in partnership on the development of those principles; however the word ‘partnership’ is exactly that. Consultation and joint decision-making. Government must not use the word unless it is meant! There are also important proposals on simplification of rules and better regulation - the sentiments of which none of us disagree with in principle - but government has a duty, if it is serious about protecting the global environment and assuring food safety, to ensure that all food destined for the UK consumer is produced to the same standards, otherwise it will inadvertently destroy the industry it needs to feed its people and export food production to less regulated climes and will be able to assure us of nothing.
You have an excellent example in Northern Ireland of a partnership principle in action. The Aujeszky’s Disease Eradication Scheme is making good progress towards freedom from this disease. It has made more progress in two short years as a joint Government/Industry Scheme that it made in the previous 8 years as a Government Scheme.
What is all the more remarkable is that I understand a prominent stakeholder in the pig sector rejected any suggestion that Government should pay compensation on the basis that it would distort the scheme and set back the progress of the last few years.
Everyone involved in that Scheme should be rightly proud of the progress they have made and in recognising the human factors and their influence on effective disease control principles.
At BVA we are aware of the major efforts being made by the political parties here and by the UK and ROI Governments to establish a devolved assembly in NI. BVA through NIVA and the other local veterinary associations stands ready to assist a new Assembly in whatever way it can, in matters relating to animal health and welfare, public health and food safety.
Ladies & Gentlemen, the BVA is very happy and proud to represent a profession that is incredibly diverse with a wide sphere of influence and respect. It works closely with government, the media and all other interested bodies to give sound veterinary science and opinion on many subjects and it continues to promote the value that veterinary surgeons bring to society in general. We are very much looking forward to hosting our Conference in Belfast in September of next year at the invitation of NIVA to celebrate their centenary year. We are combining with our other Divisions as well as AVSPNI to host what should be an exceptional programme of CPD, debate and good craic for which you are famous the world over - we hope that you will come and join us then. Thank you for being our guests this evening. We value your continued friendship and support.