In the recent announcement of RCVS Fellowships, four members of the XLVets community have been recognised for their meritorious contributions to the profession as a whole or to clinical practice. They include Andrew Davies and Jon Reader, both of Synergy Farm Health, David Black of Paragon Veterinary Group and Duncan Berkshire who heads up the pig veterinary unit at Bishopton Veterinary Group.

Andrew Curwen says the whole XLVets community has warmly welcomed the news because the individuals concerned are highly respected for their willingness to give of their time and skill to help others attain excellence. He commented, “The purpose of the RCVS Fellowship is to advance veterinary standards by providing a resource of independent knowledge for the benefit of the veterinary profession. We are delighted that a further four members of the XLVet community have been recognised for the valuable contributions that they have made, and that they will now be able to extend the XLVet principle of ‘together we can achieve so much more’. ”

Although RCVS Fellowships have been offered for over 140 years. Since 2016, they have been awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions to the veterinary profession. The change has meant that all have an equal opportunity to be awarded a Fellowship, irrespective of professional background, specialism or interest, including those who work in first opinion practice, striving for everyday excellence.

David Black of Paragon Veterinary Group in Cumbria says his passion for mixed rural practice with a focus on cattle fertility and reproduction has driven his career and that it’s been a real pleasure to also support and mentor colleagues as they develop their careers., “I love being a vet and I know that I could not have done any of it without those who have supported me on this journey so far. We live in exciting times for our profession and the wider animal health industries – and we have so much more to achieve around international collaboration, sustainability and One Health.”