Bringing the companion animal practitioners of Europe together
You may have seen the acronym FECAVA appearing in veterinary publications and at congresses.
FECAVA stands for The Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations. FECAVA was founded in 1990 at a meeting in Bienne (Biel) in Switzerland.
Initially 13 European Veterinary Companion Animal Associations represented 12 countries. Today there are 36 members representing 36 European countries. In addition, 12 European Specialist Groups are Associate Members.
Through its Member Associations, FECAVA works to the benefit of in excess of 30,000 veterinarians in Europe.
The FECAVA Board
FECAVA is led by the President and his/her Board, comprising the Vice President, the Honorary Secretary and the Honorary Treasurer. The most recent Past President is invited to attend Board meetings so that his/her wisdom is available to the Board.
The current President of FECAVA is Dr. Johan Van Tilburg from Belgium. The President and the Board members (the Officers) are elected for two years at the time. The next election will be held in 2011.
Each Member Association elects a Director to represent his/her association in FECAVA. The Council of FECAVA directors meets twice a year. The Council meeting in 2010 will be held in Geneva, Switzerland 5th June.
FECAVA’s aims and objectives
The work of FECAVA can be divided into three main areas:
· Continuing Education
· The FECAVA Journal (European Journal of Companion Animal Practice)
· The development of European standards in various fields.
Congress, Symposium and Continuing Education Courses
The FECAVA Congress is hosted each year by one or more of the Member Associations. Every second year the FECAVA Congress is held together with the World Congress of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA).
The next FECAVA Eurocongress will be in Istanbul, Turkey from 7-10 September 2011
As part of the Congress, FECAVA organises the FECAVA Symposium. The aim is to focus on specific topics related primarily to animal welfare. The Symposium is a three-hour session integrated in the annual congress with highly qualified invited speakers.
In addition to the FECAVA Congress, FECAVA supports Continuing Education Courses organised by the Member Associations, particularly in Eastern Europe. Applications for financial backing for these courses needs to be received in writing by the Honorary Treasurer by the 31st December of the year before the proposed course.
Microchip Identification
The standardisation of Microchip Identification throughout Europe is one such field where FECAVA’s influence has been decisive in establishing a standard for Companion Animal Identification.
Preparation and publication of maps showing the incidence of different infectious diseases in dogs and cats has also been undertaken by FECAVA.
Veterinary nurse education
ACOVENE (Accreditation Committee for Veterinary Nurse Education) accredits veterinary nurse education programmes throughout Europe. The ACOVENE Board consists of six members drawn from nursing course providers, accreditation bodies and the veterinary profession. FECAVA and VETNNET (Veterinary European transnational network for nursing education and training) are the supervising bodies of ACOVENE.
The Blue Dog
FECAVA supports the Blue Dog project, a project aimed at reducing the incidence of dog bites in small children. The Project is being developed by veterinarians, paediatricians, psychologists and artists in Belgium, the Netherlands and in the UK. The Blue Dog is currently being introduced throughout Europe.
Policy Statements
FECAVA regularly publishes Policy Statements on various topics. The Policy Statements set out the opinion of FECAVA on important matters concerning the companion animal medical sciences. They can also be regarded as guidelines when Member Associations discuss these matters with decision makers in their home countries. All the FECAVA Policy Statements can be found here.
Political issues
Not initially expecting to have political involvement, FECAVA’s increasing membership has meant that it has become involved in many political issues.
FECAVA now works very closely with UEVP (Union of European Veterinary Practitioners) who have direct access through the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) into European Commission policy making.
The FECAVA journal
The European Journal of Companion Animal Practice (EJCAP), is the official journal of FECAVA. The Journal is sent out to all the members of the FECAVA Member Associations.
The Journal was initially established as a reprint journal where good scientific papers published in national journals were translated into English to reach a large number of readers. Lately the Journal has also started to accept original material that is reviewed by an editorial board before being published.
EJCAP is published three times a year. Two issues are in hard copy. The third issue is an online issue only, devoted to one scientific topic each year. In 2007 the topic was ophthalmology. In 2008 it is zoonotic diseases. The special issue 2008 will be available here on www.fecava.org in December.
The Editor of EJCAP is Keith Davis. The Sub-Editor, responsible for the special issues is Astrid Bjerkås.
Further reading about FECAVA
To read more about the history and the recent work of FECAVA, download the thesis written by Tanja Kruse for her PhD Degree in 2003. Summary in English, text in German. “Sources and evidences for the development of the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (1990-2002)”. Thesis Tanja Kruse
(Last updated 21th October 2008)
