'NOT A penny' of Scotland's £2billion agri-food output could be realised without vets – but with approximately 50% of vets registering to practise in the UK coming from the rest of the EU, a quick resolution of their working right's post-Brexit was now vital to protect that income.

Speaking in Edinburgh this week, British Veterinary Association president Gudrun Ravetz called for parliamentarians and policymakers to recognise the unique role and responsibility that vets play in order to secure the best health and welfare outcomes for Scotland’s animals and wider public.

Ms Ravetz stressed that one of BVA’s key asks for the forthcoming Brexit negotiations was that the Government guarantee working rights for non-British EU vets and vet nurses currently working and studying in the UK at the existing level, and with no time limit, to ensure that the need for UK veterinary services can continue to be met.

Among her audience of politicians and industry leaders was Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy Fergus Ewing, who responded with even more worrying figures of his own, pointing out that for the very specific business of abattoir veterinary cover, the actual percentage of posts in Scottish meat plants filled by EU nationals currently sat at between 80 and 90%.

"Without that workforce, how will we run our slaughterhouses?" asked Mr Ewing. "That dependency on our friends from the EU is something that all of us, from whatever political party or persuasion, will recognise.

"Let us hope that it is an issue that we can sort out sooner rather than later."

Ms Ravetz highlighted recent work to protect production animal welfare, and emphasised the need for effective partnership working: “Last year’s Avian Influenza outbreak, which hit a farm near Dunfermline, and many others throughout Great Britain, reinforces the need for a robust surveillance system, underpinned by vets’ frontline presence, to protect the health of our livestock."

She also touched on the thorny issue of welfare at slaughter: "Animal welfare means welfare throughout an animal's entire lifetime, from farm to fork," she stressed. "While there is only a small amount of non-stun slaughter in Scotland, we would like the practice ended altogether.

"While non-stun slaughter is allowed in Scotland, we are proposing pragmatic solutions; like food labelling, to offer consumers informed choices about what they eat; and immediate post-cut stunning, to help minimise the suffering of non-stunned animals."

The BVA, she added, was also calling for legislation that guaranteed CCTV in all areas of slaughterhouses, with vets given unrestricted access to the footage as "an essential tool in fostering a culture of compassion within abattoirs".