FECAVA Council Meeting in Marseille, France

From 30th November to 3rd December FECAVA board, National Association directors, and FECAVA guests met in Marseille. The meeting hosts were the French Small Animal Veterinary Association AFVAC during their annual Congress. It was a great honor for FECAVA to meet again in France, in its »birthland« where it was officially founded in 1990. The first FECAVA President was Didier-Noël Carlotti, french director, and the first FECAVA Congress was held in Paris in 1994.

Photo: FECAVA Board with the president of the French association AFVAC Jean Francois Rousselot

During the meetings, FECAVA welcomed new representatives of Sweden (Anne Carlsward), Finland (Laura Ellonen), Denmark (Christine Fossing), and Cyprus (Demetris Epaminondas). They all got immediately involved in the working groups.

The first two days were dedicated to meetings of the Working groups: Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Sustainability, Continuing Education and Continuing Education in Eastern European Countries, Mental Health and Well-being, Healthy and Responsible Breeding; and committees: Marketing, Policy, EuroCongress, Financial Advisory, and Award/Scholarship.
Each Working Group and committee brainstormed many new ideas for the benefit of companion veterinarians and pets across Europe. The results of their work will be visible on the FECAVA digital channels and at the next EuroCongress in Lisbon, 17-19 September 2023.

Photo: Awards and Scholarship Working Group

The highlight from the council was the voting in favor of the 29th FECAVA EuroCongress in 2024, to be held in Athens and hosted by the Hellenic Veterinary Medical Society, which will celebrate 100 years of existence.
Julija Abram, FECAVA director for Estonia presented results of the survey done among Estonian veterinarians on Metal Health and Well-being. The results were worring and set a path for more research and searching for solutions in this topic.

At the council, FECAVA hosted Gonçalo da Graça Pereira from ESCVE, Felisbina Feiroga from WSAVA, Thierry Chambon from FVE, Konstantina Louka and Matteo Carnevale from IVSA, and Emma Milne, a veterinarian from the UK, public persona, and animal welfare activist.
Emma gave a speech during the Strategy Block about the topic that is her main driving force – pedigree animal health and the shocking reality of what we have done to animals by radically changing their shape and undoing millennia of evolution and survival of the fittest. Sadly some breeds of dogs and cats now survive only because of veterinary intervention. We hope this will start future collaboration on animal welfare projects.

Photo: Thierry Chambon giving the presentation about collaboration with FVE

Our dear colleague from Czech Republic Miloš Urban announced that this is his last FECAVA council meeting and will pass his chair to a colleague. He made an impact in FECAVA, with the highlight of bringing FECAVA EuroCongress to Prague in 2021.

See the Photo Gallery.

 

Leave a reply