Ontario's College of Veterinarians releases animal welfare position statement

Thursday, November 12, 2015

by SUSAN MANN

The College of Veterinarians of Ontario has clarified when it will wade into debates on matters involving animal welfare in a newly released position statement.  

The College released the statement on Wednesday. The statement, approved by the College’s governing council in October, enables the public to understand the council’s position related to animal welfare, the College’s Nov. 11 press release says.

Jan Robinson, College registrar and chief executive officer, says the College’s council developed the statement because occasionally matters related to animal welfare come before the College. “These topics can be very varied but not all of them relate to veterinary medicine.” However, “they’re all challenging.”

Robinson says the College’s council was very thoughtful in outlining where it will put its voice and influence and where it will exercise “its authority in relationship to an animal welfare matter. The whole purpose of this position statement is to bring clarity as to how we sort that out.”

The statement makes it clear the College “is going to look at animal welfare issues that intersect with veterinary medicine if it affects licensure, facility accreditation, quality assurance, which is really the safe, quality practice of veterinary medicine, or our complaints and disciplinary” mandate, she says. “If an animal welfare matter intersects with veterinary medicine in those capacities, then we should have something to say.”

The College, which regulates the veterinary medicine practice, licenses about 4,500 veterinarians and accredits more than 2,100 facilities in Ontario. BF