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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 4th February 2015
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Will beavers return to Wales?
Beaver
Those in favour say that beavers can improve water quality, boost biodiversity and prevent flooding.
Experts debate pros and cons of beavers

Beavers could be making a return to Wales hundreds of years after their disappearance, according to a report by BBC News.

Natural Resources Wales has selected the River Rheidol river in Ceredigion as the preferred location to reintroduce the animal, however work is continuing to assess the results of pilot projects elsewhere in the UK.

Those in favour say that beavers can improve water quality, boost biodiversity and prevent flooding. However, concern about their impact has been voiced to farmers' leaders.  

Speaking to BBC News, Tim Jones, executive director of operations for north and mid Wales at Natural Resources Wales, said that the possibility of reintroducing beavers to Welsh rivers needs "serious consideration."

He said that although beavers have the potential to improve water quality, wildlife and fish populations, the wider effects of reintroducing them should be looked at. This would include their effects on forestry, agriculture and flood defences, amongst many others.

The organisation is working with a number of partners to examine the evidence on the reintroduction of beavers and the outcomes of pilot projects elsewhere. Following this, if they are sure that it is the right thing to do, they will look at the options and the benefits and practical challenges of developing and continuing the project further.

However, Bernard Llewellyn, rural affairs board chairman of the farming union NFU Cymru, has said that he is concerned about potential diseases being spread to people and other animals, as well as about good agricultural land being lost to beavers.

Speaking to BBC Wales' Sunday Supplement programme, Adrian Lloyd Jones, leader of the Welsh Beaver Project, said that beavers would not spread any disease and they would bring many benefits to the surrounding countryside.

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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. 

Click here for more...
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.