The Animal Health Distributors Association’s annual conference returns to Birmingham on the 23rd and 24th of January 2023 after a three-year break, with a packed schedule of seminars and workshops.
Typically an annual two-day event, the conference was postponed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and then again due to Her Majesty’s funeral in September.
It will cover topics related to the management of farm, equine and companion animals but due to the change in date, there have been some changes to the speakers.
The AHDA has announced that John Millward, head of the inspections and enforcement division at the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), will be the keynote speaker, taking over from the recently appointed CEO of the VMD Abi Seager.
The extensive speaker programme also includes Dr Alison Pyatt (VMD), Dave Bartley (Moredun Research Institute) and Jonathan Statham (Animal Health and Welfare Board for England), and there will be a host of exhibitions from manufacturers and suppliers, as well as industry groups such as AMTRA, COWS, SCOPS and VMD.
For 2023, the theme of the conference is ‘Working for Positive Change’ and the programme on day one includes workshops on responsible prescribing. The AHDA has partnered with three medicine manufacturers, as well as SCOPS, to deliver these fully interactive workshops.
It follows the launch earlier this year of a campaign to enhance the responsible prescribing process of animal medicines, with a particular focus on anthelmintic resistance.
“AHDA’s main purpose is to support RAMAs/SQPs in their role, working with other industry organisations and bodies to support their right to sell and supply the range of prescription animal medicines across all sectors,” explained Bryan Lovegrove, AHDA secretary general.
“In raising awareness of the challenges of anthelmintic resistance, and by focussing on it in detail at our conference, we hope to bring some of these areas of focus to life, encouraging conversation and engagement among those directly involved in the prescribing process in order to help the end users – their customers – better understand the topic.”
“We’re really looking forward to coming back together after a lengthy break. Exhibitor spaces have sold out, which is a clear indicator of the enthusiasm within the sector, and the importance of meeting in person to share ideas and discuss challenges,” added Mr Lovegrove.
Day one will be followed by a gala dinner, which will be the platform for the annual AMTRA awards ceremony, a charity prize draw and an after-dinner speaker.
The programme for day two will focus on a range of relevant and current topics, including companion animal nutrition, and lungworm in cattle and backyard poultry. Across the event, there are around 60 CPD points available to Registered Animal Medicine Advisors (RAMAs).
