‘Crucial’ Thurso vet lab wins a reprieve
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AN assurance given over the short-term future of the vet lab near Thurso has been described as “really good news”.
Landward Caithness councillor and former NFU area president Robert Coghill welcomed an announcement the Janetstown-based disease surveillance centre (DSC) will be the subject of a public consultation and is to have its funding protected for the next three years.
Fresh fears arose recently for the facility after a Scottish Government report was published by former Scottish NFU president John Kinnaird.
It recommended a reduction in the number of veterinary investigation labs as well as changes in how the service is carried out – sparking worry among many users of the local service.
“It was an extremely disappointing manner in which John Kinnaird’s report was made,” said Mr Coghill.
“It took two years to do the report just to say that a board had to be set up to look at the future of vet labs in Scotland. I would certainly welcome the news that the future of not just animal health but human health as well is going to be looked into carefully.”
Local MSP Rob Gibson received the assurance from rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead.
The minister told Mr Gibson no decision over the centre will be made without full consultation with livestock keepers and veterinary practitioners in Caithness, Sutherland and Orkney.
Mr Lochhead confirmed the Government had protected funding for the facility for three years, to shield it from any “rash” cost-cutting.
Mr Gibson vowed to “fight hard” to retain the service, which is “essential for agriculture in Caithness, Sutherland and Orkney”.
He said the reprieve gives the Far North an opportunity to present a compelling case for keeping the service.
“The northern counties and isles cannot lose this facility, so I am assured that the SNP Government has protected funding for Thurso DSC for three years,” said Mr Gibson.
“We must ensure that any changes made after the period as a result of the Kinnaird report protect animal and public health and do not put food safety at risk. Any rash decision regarding Thurso DSC would be deeply damaging for agriculture in the North.”
Mr Coghill agreed with Mr Gibson’s comments and said ideally he would like to see the vet lab open long into the future.
“As I’ve said previously there are a lot of animals, livestock and wildlife in Caithness,” he said.
“Thurso vet lab covers not only this area but the whole North of Scotland and the islands. The way I see it is that it’s crucial to Caithness and it was short-sighted to consider reducing animal surveillance. That’s how we can keep a tab on any future diseases that may arise.”
Mr Coghill said over the years the local vet lab has been key in promoting new initiatives and keeping farmers and animal owners alert to any dangers.
“It has a tremendous history of informing farmers and crofters about problems that may occur,” he said.
“The vet lab has been at the forefront of not only animal health but at making sure human health is protected.”
Mr Coghill said the closure of the unit would also have an economic impact on the area as jobs would be lost.
The lab has two vets on contract and it also employs two scientific and two administration and support staff.
Local farmers have also raised concerns about the loss of the postmortem service.
At present, the Scottish Agricultural College provides most veterinary surveillance through its eight disease surveillance centres in Janetstown, Inverness, Perth, Aberdeen, Ayr, Edinburgh, Dumfries and St Boswells in Roxburghshire.
The Kinnaird report proposes establishing a strategic management board – chaired by Scotland’s chief vet and including industry representatives and vets – to oversee veterinary surveillance.
It also recommends the board should consider a phased reduction in the number of disease surveillance centres, putting in place alternative means of service delivery as well as establishing a single, central laboratory to test surveillance samples from the DSCs.
No-one at the vet lab was willing to comment on this latest development.
