An Australian first in vet protection

A new Guild policy covers veterinarians who participate in an emergency animal disease (EAD) response.

An EAD outbreak could be disastrous for Australia’s animal health and production systems, and if we were to have an outbreak, private veterinarians would be called on to help with the response effort. If you aren’t employed by the government and covered by its insurance policies, you may not realise that if you decide to participate in an emergency response, your insurance won’t cover you.

The AVA and Animal Health Australia have worked with Guild Insurance to ensure that you can be covered in such an event.

The new policy was launched at the AVA Annual Conference and it covers veterinarians for up to A$10 million for public and products liability and for professional indemnity.

This insurance is available for all veterinarians. If you are already insured with Guild, it’s vital you contact them to ‘activate’ this insurance. They need to check that the particular (EAD) emergency has been declared and also determine which package is suitable to your situation, based on your current policy as a practice principle, associate or retired veterinarian.

Please visit guildinsurance.com.au/eadr for full details on what you’ll need to do if an outbreak is declared or telephone Guild on 1800 810 213.