A personal viewpoint from Lewis Griffiths, retiring Chair of VetSalus

As agriculture steadily moves towards a more sustainable future, dairy farming has become one of the sectors most under pressure.

We are delighted to announce that Katrine Lawaetz has taken on the role as Chair of VetSalus. Katrine is a highly qualified and experienced veterinarian with a background in veterinary practice with a focus on dairy herd health, disease, and reproduction. Her veterinary work has been dedicated to Herd Health Management, Animal welfare, and she has until now been active as chairman for VetSalus Scandinavia.

25th January, 2024 – Edinburgh University’s Easter Bush Campus

A crowd of industry experts, including scientists, veterinarians and farmers, gathered at the University of Edinburgh’s Easter Bush Campus for SCCL’s Colostrum Applications Conference – part of the Canadian company’s 30th anniversary celebrations.

Ryan Davies is part of our network of experts, read on to find out a little more about his work.

Based and raised in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, Ryan attended The University of Edinburgh and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery in 2002.

Owen Atkinson is part of our network of experts, read on to find out a little more about his work.

Owen graduated from the University of Liverpool in 1994 with distinction. After working in clinical dairy practice for 19 years and gaining RCVS Specialist status he founded Dairy Veterinary Consultancy in 2013.

The pale green cover of ‘Saying No to a Farm Free Future’ is simple, if maybe a little wordy. The extended subtitle, ‘The case for an ecological food system and against manufactured foods’ neatly summarises the intention of this book. This is a book which really does deliver what it says on the cover. In presenting many detailed arguments, most of which are firmly pitched at refuting George Monbiot’s recent work, ‘Re-genesis' (1), the book packs a powerful punch but does sacrifice some readability as the carefully argued case, at times, runs little dry.

Veterinarian Jørgen Kragsig Olesen has recently completed a course that places sustainability for veterinarians in an international perspective and provides insight into how veterinary expertise can be utilised in the green agenda. He believes that as a veterinarian, he should develop his understanding of sustainability because changes in agricultural structure, new green policies, and corporate demands are challenging the traditional role of veterinarians in a new world. Therefore, individual veterinarians should future-proof their skills.

Climate change training course for farm veterinary professionals opening for registration in December. VetSalus have spent much of 2023 developing their new course for farm vets and paraprofessionals, which is now open for registration.