The Government has announced plans for a new law to make it compulsory to microchip cats before they reach the age of 20 weeks and their contact details stored and kept up to date in a pet microchipping database.

Owners found not to have microchipped their…

The RCVS Standards Committee has reintroduced the dispensation which allows veterinary surgeons to prescribe veterinary medicines remotely, in advance of the forecast wave of Omicron infections. 

Chair of the Standards Committee, Dr Melissa Donald, said…

The RCVS has bought new premises at 1-2 Hardwick Street, Clerkenwell, London.

Having sold Belgravia House – its Westminster offices since 1995 – to a private investor in March 2021 for £14.5m, RCVS Council agreed the purchase of the new building for £20…

RCVS Council has announced there will be no increase in annual renewal fees this year, but the alternative fee payment arrangements brought in to reduce financial pressures on vets during the pandemic will now come to an end. 

Annual renewal fees for veterinary…

The RCVS has announced the candidates for the 2022 Council elections, and is calling on members to submit questions to candidates ahead of the start of the voting period.

There are 13 candidates standing in this year’s election for RCVS Council, the voting…

The RCVS Standards Committee has decided to end the temporary dispensation allowing remote prescribing of prescription-only veterinary medicines on Monday 14th March 2022.

The dispensation was originally introduced during the spring 2020 lockdown to safeguard…

The RCVS President Kate Richards has issued a statement in support of Ukraine, whilst one practitioner, dental Specialist Bob Partridge, has donated a day's takings and is encouraging others to do the same. 

Kate said: "In recent days we have watched…

The RCVS has set up a new Working Party tasked with increasing disabled people's access to the veterinary profession.

The aim of the Working Party is to compare options, such as limited licensure, for increasing inclusion, source evidence both from…

The RCVS has published the results of the 2022 Council elections, which saw Sue Paterson, Olivia Cook and Abbie Calow elected to RCVS Council 

This year, 13 veterinary surgeons stood for three available places on Council.

6,583 veterinary surgeons voted…

Veterinary telemedicine firm Vet AI, which offers video consultations to pet owners via its Joii Pet Care app, is now calling for remote prescribing - without a physical exam or the back up of a veterinary premises - to be allowed permanently.

The company…

Colin Whiting MRCVS has resigned his position on the RCVS Council after the College approved a new ‘How we work’ statement requiring Council members to publicly support all decisions taken by Council, even if they disagreed.

In his first ye…

The RCVS has updated its Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) with new environmental sustainability requirements, updates to current standards to incorporate sustainability and a new Environmental Sustainability Award.

The new changes are being introduced in…

The RCVS has begun the final stage of its review of the definition of ‘under care’ and the provision of 24/7 emergency cover, and is now consulting veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, students and the wider veterinary team on its proposed new guidance…

RCVS Council has been considering the costs, advantages and disadvantages of bringing private prosecutions against people and organisations that breach the Veterinary Surgeons Act. 

A paper introduced by the RCVS Registrar Eleanor Ferguson looked at the…

From the start of next month, RCVS will be introducing a streamlined new concerns investigation process, with cases being considered by Preliminary Investigation Committees from the outset.

Under the previous system, complaints made about a veterinary…

The British Veterinary Association is calling on vets to report unregulated canine fertility clinics to the relevant authorities as it calls for urgent regulation.

According to its latest Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey, 93% of vets are either…

Veterinary surgeons who want to play a part in determining how the RCVS regulates professional standards and education, as well as advancing the profession through its Royal Charter activities, can now put themselves forward as candidates in next year…

The Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced that it is investigating eight acquisitions by IVC Evidensia.

16 clinics are affected by the investigation, namely Penrose Veterinary Group Limited, Kevin Castle (Pet Care) Ltd, Swayne & Partners…

The RCVS Council has voted to approve proposed changes to how 'under care' is defined in the supporting guidance for the Guide to Professional Conduct.

The new guidance will remove the absolute requirement for veterinary surgeons to perform a physical…

Following BBC Panorama’s expose into extreme dog breeding which aired on Monday, Dave Martin MRCVS, Animal Welfare Advisor at IVC Evidensia, has called for new legislation in the UK which would make it illegal to own a dog with cropped ears.

Ear cropping…

The RCVS has announced the names of this year's candidates for Council. 

There are 10 candidates standing for the three available elected places on RCVS Council. 

The candidates are:

• Professor David Barrett FRCVS (University of Bristol)
• Linda Belton…

The RCVS VN Council has developed a definition of veterinary nursing, in order to provide greater clarity both to the veterinary profession and the public about what the role entails. 

The definition agreed by VN Council is as follows:

Veterinary nursing…

The RCVS has announced that it will increase its fees, including registration and annual renewal fees for veterinary surgeons and nurses, by 4% for the 2023/24 financial year.

The increase, which was approved by the Privy Council on Thursday 2 March,…

Voting has opened for the 2023 RCVS Council elections.

There are 10 candidates standing this year and vets can vote for up to three of them until 5pm on Friday 21st April 2023:

• Professor David Barrett FRCVS
• Linda Belton MRCVS
• Dr Martin Chamberlain MRCV…

RCVS Council has approved final changes to its guidance on prescribing prescription-only veterinary medicines (POM-Vs) to an animal that is ‘under care’ of a veterinary surgeon, and confirmed it will come into effect on 1st September 2023.…