A new Award to recognise the ‘Young Dairy Vet of the Year’ is being added to the 2021 Dairy Industry Trade Awards, called the CREAM Awards, run by British Dairying magazine. The new award, supported by animal health company Krka UK, will recognise an exceptional farm vet who has been working in the dairy industry for three to five years and who has contributed significantly to the health and wellbeing of herds under their care. The CREAM Awards already include an award for the Dairy Vet of the Year.
According to Krka, the role and responsibilities of today’s dairy vets are evolving, driven by developments in areas including genomics, automation and big data. While excellent clinical skills and the ability to carry out key practical procedures remain fundamental, they are increasingly required to act as consultants to their farmer clients as the emphasis of their work moves to herd health rather than individual cow health. The automation of dairy processes is also leading to the development of more specialised roles within the farm and veterinary sectors with dairy vets often finding themselves at the centre of a wider farm advisory team, a role which requires them to lead, delegate and to train farm staff and paraprofessionals to carry out technical tasks, including scanning and foot trimming.
Finally, as the ability of technology and big data to monitor and enhance herd performance continues to grow, dairy vets are increasingly required to help capture the data, interpret it and offer it back to farmers in order to enhance their business.
Sarah Tomlinson, veterinary surgeon at Westpoint Farm Vets in Derbyshire, Technical Director of the TB Advisory Service (TBAS) and recipient of the 2020 Dairy Vet of the Year, commented: “In recognising achievement among more recently qualified vets with this new Award, Krka is giving the boost every young vet needs to shake off the ‘new grad’ title and instead become an ‘high performing’ vet, judged by their industry peers to be one of the best. Many vets can suffer with imposter syndrome so it is important that we accept positive acknowledgement of our work and our everyday achievements so that we can be rightly proud of what we do.”
Charlotte Read, Key Account Manager – Farm, at Krka, added: “Newly qualified vets carry the future of this exciting and rapidly-evolving profession with them. Highlighting their experiences and achievements is a fantastic way to recognise the contribution they are making and to inspire new entrants to the rewarding world of the farm vet. Krka is delighted to support this new Award.”
Full details of all of the CREAM Awards and the nomination process can be found online.
