Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

You kindly sent the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons a copy of your consultation letter of 19 October. RCVS is the statutory regulatory body for the veterinary profession, responsible for overseeing veterinary education and conduct, and also has powers under its Royal Charter to promote veterinary science.

Two of the topics which your letter identifies as relevant to the Commission's study are of interest to RCVS: the competing demands of toxicity testing and animal welfare, and the agricultural use of antimicrobial products. There has of course been controversy over the use of the latter as growth promotors.

It may be helpful to flag up a further subject which is not directly identified in your letter, namely the environmental effects of certain veterinary medicines such as parasiticides and insect growth regulators. The Commission will be aware, for example, of the concerns over the effects of organophosphorus sheep dips on human health.

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