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BVA policy, lobbying, and campaigning priorities

What are our policy, lobbying, and campaigning priorities? 

Our policy, lobbying and campaigning priorities determine the focus of our policy and campaigning activity each Association year, helping us to direct resources for maximum impact. They're created in collaboration with our Divisions, Branches in the devolved countries of the UK, and Policy Committee, and signed off by our Council in September each year. Progress against each priority is reviewed throughout the year.

 

BVA policy, lobbying, and campaigning priorities 2025-26

  • Continue to engage constructively with each stage of the Competition and Markets Authority investigation, seeking to secure an outcome that delivers benefits to the veterinary professions, animal welfare, and consumers.
  • Develop guidance and practical resources to support members to implement the CMA’s remedies.
  • Lead the veterinary profession’s response to Defra’s consultation on recommendations for a draft Bill.
  • Lobby to secure political support for the Bill to be introduced to Parliament in the next session.
  • Design and deliver a communications campaign to foster understanding of the need for reform and profession-wide support for new legislation.
  • Publish a set of principles for the critical assessment and practical application of Artificial Intelligence tools across the veterinary sector, and develop supporting member resources.
  • Encourage all veterinary workplaces to adopt and implement an EDI policy, and work with the BVA EDI Advisory Group to develop guidance and resources on being a supportive and inclusive workplace.
  • Review the evidence base, including current and future supply and demand, to develop a policy position on veterinary workforce issues.
  • Develop guidance to support employers and employees to navigate UK Government immigration rules when recruiting vets from overseas.
  • Lobby the Government to address the shortcomings identified in the NAO Report related to UK animal disease resilience and biosecurity.
  • Update BVA’s policy position on neutering of cats and dogs.
  • Work with the Welfare at Slaughter Alliance to secure improvements to animal welfare at the time of killing (including transport, CO2 gas stunning of pigs, demonstration of life assurance, and welfare labelling)
  • Develop policy positions on broiler chickens and on laying hens and lobby for the phasing out of farrowing crates for pigs
  • Campaign to raise awareness of BVA’s principles for responsible prescribing and use of parasiticides, building on our policy position for grazing animals and our updated position for cats and dogs.
  • Work with specialist divisions and other partners including RUMA, VMD, NOAH, NFU and SQP organisations to build a co-ordinated comprehensive approach to reducing use of parasiticides in grazing animals.
  • Lobby political parties in Scotland and Wales to include priority veterinary and animal welfare commitments in their manifestos for their respective national elections in 2026
  • Closely monitor the roll out of the scheme to support ongoing access to veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland and provide guidance for members