MEAT VETERINARIANS IN THE UK

Contents

The Role of the Official Veterinary Surgeon (OVS).

OVS's are veterinary surgeons appointed by the Minister of Agriculture to act as leaders of meat hygiene and inspection teams in meat premises in Great Britain.

The role of the OVS is to enforce EC standards of structure, operation and hygiene practices as set out in UK legislation.

OVS's have responsibility for animal welfare and inspection and hygiene supervision at meat plants and are assisted in this by authorised meat inspectors to whom they can delegate some duties.

More specific tasks of the OVS are:

Overall, the OVS should try to gain improvements in all areas by building good relationships and working with plant management. This means that good communication and management skills are essential.
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A Refresher Course In Veterinary Meat Hygiene

All veterinary surgeons receive meat hygiene training at veterinary school. In Britain it is necessary to undertake a "refresher" course before designation as an OVS.

This six-day refresher course is run by the University of Bristol. These courses are generally held once or twice per year. A course was run in July 1998. New people recruited will be channelled onto the next course which will run in two parts; the first part commencing 6 November 1998 for three days and the second part commencing 26 November 1998 for a further three days.
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Pre-Course and Post-Course Visits

Two pre-course visits are required before the refresher course at Bristol. One visit is to a red meat plant and one is to a white meat or poultry plant. A minimum of two days is set aside for these visits.

After the course a further 6 visits are required. Three visits are to red meat plants and three are to white meat plants. Only when these visits are complete can your designation as an Official Veterinary Surgeon be finalised. This final stage of the process usually takes at least two weeks.
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Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Registration

Before you can attend the course you must register at the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Registration requires attendance in person. This entitles you to work as a veterinary surgeon in the United Kingdom.

Without this registration you will be unable to practice as a veterinarian in this country. Registration costs £170 and the Royal College will require to see your passport.

Before you go you should send/fax copies of all the required papers to the Royal College in advance. You should also confirm that these papers are fully in order before attending the College to register. They will require a letter or certificate from your last Registration Board. This will need to be sent directly to the College.

When you register you will need to go to Belgravia House:
62-64 Horseferry Road
London SW1P 2AF
Tel: (44) 171 222 2001
Fax: (44) 171 222 2004
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