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New Spokesbird for New Zealand
Sirocco the 'spokesbird'.
New Zealand’s world famous parrot – Sirocco the kākāpō – has been officially recognised as a conservation ambassador by the Prime Minister John Key.

To launch New Zealand’s involvement in the International Year of Biodiversity and in recognition of Sirocco’s own celebrity status the 12-year old kākāpō has been named New Zealand’s “Official Spokesbird for Conservation”.

Sirocco, one of only 124 kākāpō remaining in the world, was catapulted into stardom after featuring in the BBC’s “Last chance to see” programme. This saw a huge rise in popularity of kakapo and interest from people wanting to know more about New Zealand’s unique native wildlife.

“Sirocco was an obvious choice for the role – he has a huge worldwide following and he demonstrates the importance of looking after the very special nature that makes New Zealand so different”, said Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson.

She added: “New Zealand is home to the world’s only flightless and nocturnal parrot, the last surviving member of a dinosaur family and the world’s smallest marine dolphin - we have so much unique native wildlife in every nook and cranny across the country. This is our biodiversity to protect and Sirocco can help spread that message.”

For more information, see Sirocco’s new website: www.spokesbird.com

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Defra shares new Sanitary and Phytosanitary guidance

News Story 1
 Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.

The agreement, which will change the movement and trade of animals and related products, could see reductions in checks, paperwork and certification. As well as describing regulatory developments, the advice highlights the importance of animal ID, registration and traceability in disease control and other compliance arrangements.

The guidance can be found here. More detail is expected as negotiations progress. 

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News Shorts
New form for online veterinary medicines retailers

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has produced a new online form for retailers wishing to sell veterinary medicines on the internet.

The form replace the previous Word version and is part of the VMD's ongoing commitment to digitise its processes. Anyone retailing prescription medicines online, including POM-V, POM-VPS and NFA-VPS categories, is lawfully required to register with the VMD before trading.

The change only applies to new applicants. Retailers already listed on the VMD's Register of Online Retailers or registered under the Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme (AIRS) do not need to do anything.