September has been another busy month for the ACV Executive, with plenty happening and a number of exciting developments on the horizon.
Our Education Subcommittee with collaboration from the Sheep Vets, has been working hard on the finalising a program for our 2027 ACV Conference, “Modern Ruminant Practice in a Changing World” to be held in Hobart in March 15-17, 2027. There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to put together a program that is relevant, practical and worthwhile for our members. Please pencil the dates into your diaries and get behind our conference in 2027.
Our BULLCHECK Convenor, Xavier, has included later in this Moosletter some examples of bulls that have previously passed a BULLCHECK examination when, quite clearly, they should not have. I strongly encourage all BULLCHECK accredited veterinarians to take the time to look through these examples.
BULLCHECK remains one of ACV’s flagship programs, and its reputation relies on all of us maintaining the standards that underpin the scheme. Put simply, if we are passing bulls that clearly do not meet those standards, we are “white-anting” the scheme from within. Please take your responsibility as an accredited veterinarian seriously and ensure the integrity of BULLCHECK.
On a more positive note, the BULLCHECK App is now very close to release, and we expect it to become available within the next few weeks. As the platform is rolled out, we will provide information and guidance on how to get started and use it effectively. Please keep a close eye on upcoming editions of the Moosletter and on Circle for further information as it comes to hand.
It has also been great to see members embracing our new Member Engagement Hub, which has replaced ACVlist. There have already been some excellent discussions covering a broad range of topics, including – bull motility results, Santa bulls with poor morphology, hoof issues in calves, frenulums in yearling bulls, calf septic arthritis, and the sale of chronic lumpy jaw cases, just to name a few. In its first 3 months of use we have had 38 posts with 148 comments viewed more than 5,000 times.
This type of discussion and sharing of experiences in a safe vet only platform, is exactly what makes our professional community valuable. If you have not yet signed up yet, I strongly encourage you to do so. Please contact the ACV office if you need assistance getting started, send an email to acv@ava.com.au.
Finally, congratulations to Dr Joey Rheinberger on her appointment as the Oceania representative to the World Association for Buiatrics Board. This is a fantastic achievement, well done.
As always, if there are any issues you would like raised with the Executive, or if there is anything ACV can assist with, please do reach out.
Dr Brendan Brieffies
