Role of BVA Council

The role of BVA Council is:

• to represent members’ views on matters of veterinary policy
• to advise the Board on matters of veterinary policy 
• to appoint 4 members as Directors of the Board
• to approve new members of the Association and to recommend honorary members, honorary associates, and life members for election at the AGM
• to recommend the Council’s preferred candidates for BVA President and Junior Vice President at the AGM

Composition of Council

BVA Council is chaired by the BVA President and has 43 voting members and 6 non-voting members:

• 3 Officers (President, Junior Vice President and Senior Vice President)
• 3 immediate past presidents
• 9 elected regional representatives for England
• 1 elected regional representative for Scotland
• 1 elected regional representative for Wales
• 1 elected regional representative for Northern Ireland
• 1 Scottish Branch representative
• 1 Welsh Branch representative
• 1 Northern Ireland Branch representative
• 19 specialist division representatives
• 2 recent graduate representatives
• 1 Chair of Policy Committee
• 1 Chair of Ethics and Welfare Advisory Panel (in attendance by agreement, non-voting)
• 1 Chair of AWF Trustees (in attendance by agreement, non-voting)
• 4 affiliate representatives from BVNA, VPMA, AVTRW, and BVLGBT+ (non-voting)

Specialist division representatives

We have 20 Specialist divisions representing veterinary surgeons in different specialisms across the UK.

• Anthony Ridge - Association of Government Vets
• Jayson Hughes - Association of Veterinary Students
• David Black - British Cattle Vet Association
• Imogen Burrows - British Equine Veterinary Association
• David Godfrey - British Small Animal Veterinary Association
• Martin Smith - British Veterinary Hospitals Association
• Charlotte Commins - British Veterinary Poultry Association
• Elliott Simpson-Brown - British Veterinary Zoological Society
• Máirín-Rua Máirín-Rua - Fish Veterinary Society
• Ben Dustan - Goat Veterinary Society
• Anja Petrie - Laboratory Animals Veterinary Association
• Dan Tucker - Pig Veterinary Society
• Ross Curnick - Royal Army Veterinary Corps
• Philippa Page - Sheep Veterinary Society
• Andrew Bartholomew - Society of Greyhound Veterinarians
• Ami Sawran - Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons
• Gareth Boyes - British Deer Veterinary Association
• Lewis Grant - Veterinary Public Health Association

Regional representatives

We have 12 regional representatives on Council from across the UK. 

• Alastair George - Scotland
• Sara Jackson - North East
• Kate Higgins - North West
• Charlotte Kenton - Yorkshire and Humber
• Charlotte Farr - East Midlands
• Siân Burwood - West Midlands
• Lucy Dobree - East of England
• Fieke Molenaar - South East
• Veselina Trufcheva-Edwards - London
• Fergus Mitchell - South West
• Phil Thomas - Wales
• Mark Little - Northern Ireland