National associations join forces to explore common goals
The AVMA will join forces with the Australian, British, and Canadian veterinary associations to explore speeding the approval of low-risk, small animal drugs that have already been approved in another of the countries.
This is the third time the presidents and chief executive officers of the associations have gathered as the international council. The council was formed in 1998 to promote dialogue and cooperation among the four member associations. At this year's meeting, held in Victoria, British Columbia, Dr. James E. Nave, president, and Dr. Bruce W. Little, executive vice president, represented the AVMA. Both presidents and CEOs from the Australian and Canadian veterinary associations attended, as well as Dr. David Tyson, president of the British Veterinary Association, but the British CEO had to cancel at the last minute to manage issues surrounding the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. Foot-and-mouth disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy were also among the main topics of discussion at the meeting, as were the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues and global approval of veterinary colleges. The associations also decided to work together to ensure that judgments on antimicrobial resistance are backed by science and not public opinion. The leaders agreed to write letters to their respective World Veterinary Association councilors, asking them to lobby the WVA to recommend to the World Health Organization that any guidance on the subject be based on scientific documentation. The leaders also exchanged items such as media guides, vaccination guidelines, dog bite program materials, and news releases to give them a greater understanding of the other associations' structures and functions. | ||