To celebrate the 10th Anniversary Year of the AFBI Cattle Health Scheme an event is planned for PVPs on Wednesday 15th November at the Seagoe Hotel, Portadown. This will include a thought provoking presentation from past president of the British Cattle Veterinary Association and practicing veterinarian Keith Cutler, on ‘Making wealth from Cattle Health’.

It is clear that in order to deal with future challenges there is a need to have a more efficient industry and controlling and preventing endemic diseases plays a key role. However, as practitioners, it is sometimes difficult to find the time to convince clients of the need to eradicate and prevent disease and to support them in the process.

Keith will rely his experience in managing health schemes for his clients in practice. He will also give an insight on how to help herd keepers make the transition from merely dealing with disease as it arises to being pro-active in preventive medicine, implementing and maintaining disease control programmes.

The event will start at 7pm and start with a light dinner. A brief reflection on the last 10 years of the AFBI Cattle Health Scheme by Maria Guelbenzu will be followed by Keith Cutler’s presentation and discussion.

Keith Cutler

Keith studied at the Bristol University Veterinary School qualifying in 1990 having already been awarded a BSc in Anatomical Sciences in 1987. He started working in the farm animal division of Endell Veterinary Group in July 1990. His main interests lie in the areas of cattle fertility and reproduction, bovine lameness, infectious disease (especially Bovine viral diarrhoea and Johne’s disease) control on a herd basis, suckler herd production and the management and welfare of large exotic animals.

He is a member of the British Veterinary Association, the Southern Counties Veterinary Association (of which he is a past President), the British Cattle Veterinary Association, the British Veterinary Deer Society, the British Veterinary Camelid Society and the British Veterinary Zoological Society. He is also Honorary Veterinary Surgeon to the National Beef Association and the Wessex branch of the British Deer Society.

He lectures regularly on bovine topics at the various UK veterinary schools and at scientific meetings in the UK and around the world. Keith also regularly writes articles for veterinary journals and farming magazines as well as sitting on advisory panels for DEFRA, the NBA and CHeCS.

Keith was awarded his European Diploma in Cattle Health and Production in 2006 - one of the very few vets working in general practice to be awarded this qualification. In 2007 he was the first person to be named Farmer’s Weekly Farm Livestock Advisor of the Year. In 2009 he became President of the British Cattle Veterinary Association and he is the chair of CHeCS technical committee.