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Nigel Gibbens joins RUMA scientific group
Professor Gibbens retired from his post as CVO earlier this month, after 10 years in the role.
Former CVO to offer expertise on responsible antimicrobial use 

The UK’s former chief veterinary officer Nigel Gibbens has joined RUMA’s independent scientific group, where he will help to inform policy on the responsible use of medicines in farm animals.

Professor Gibbens retired from his post as CVO earlier this month, after 10 years in the role. He was succeeded by Christine Middlemiss, who was previously CVO for New South Wales, Australia.

RUMA’s independent scientific group comprises eight eminent researchers and scientists from the veterinary, medical and microbiological fields.

Commenting on his decision to join, Professor Gibbens said he has been impressed by the recent progress made by UK livestock sectors in reducing, refining or replacing the use of antimicrobials on farms.

He believes it is time to look at how science can support further efforts to reduce on-farm use.

A strong evidence base for antibiotic use and health and welfare improvements for farmed livestock, should be integral to the aspirations stated within the government’s consultation; ‘Health and Harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit’.

“RUMA’s ongoing leadership in AMR mitigation through excellent animal husbandry in all production systems can help to differentiate UK produce and elevate its reputation post Brexit,” he explained.
 
“But to achieve this, and other goals, we need sound science to underpin all the decisions we make. Sitting on the Independent Scientific Group is a great opportunity to do just that – use the knowledge and insight that I’ve been fortunate to acquire in over 30 years as a Government veterinary officer.”

Professor Gibbens qualified from the RVC in 1981 and worked in general practice before completing a master’s in tropical veterinary medicine at Edinburgh University. He provided government-led veterinary services in Belize and Yemen, then returned to the UK as a government field veterinary officer in 1990, after which followed a series of lead veterinary roles in government.
 

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RCVS Knowledge appoints Veterinary Evidence editor-in-chief

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has welcomed Professor Peter Cockcroft as editor-in-chief for Veterinary Evidence.

A world-renowned expert in evidence-based veterinary medicine, Prof Cockcroft will lead the strategic development and editorial quality of the open-access journal. He was previously in the role from 2017-2020.

Katie Mantell, CEO of RCVS Knowledge, said: "We are excited about the extensive knowledge of evidence-based veterinary medicine and clinical veterinary research that Peter brings, and we look forward to working with him over this next phase of the journal's development." 

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CVS Group hit by cyber attack

CVS Group, which owns more than 450 veterinary practices in the UK, has been hit by a cyber attack.

In a statement, the group said the incident involved unauthorised external access to a limited number of its IT systems. As soon as the attack was discovered, the group took its IT systems temporarily offline, causing 'considerable operational disruption'.

It has warned that the security steps taken and ongoing plans to move its operational systems and IT infrastructure to the Cloud are likely to have an ongoing impact over a number of weeks.

Due to the risk that personal information was accessed, CVS has informed the Information Commissioner's Office. The company is working with third party consultants to investigate the incident.