Aims of the Society

To be serious for a moment, the aim of the BVVS is to eliminate from the UK veterinary profession any official recognition or implication of official recognition of homoeopathy as a valid medical discipline, in particular:

• To have the list of "Homoeopaths" removed from the RCVS Register
• To have the advertising of homoeopathic "educational" courses banned from official BVA publications
• To call on our universities to cease inviting homoeopathic veterinary surgeons to lecture to undergraduates.

In addition, the Society is opposed to the recognition of the BAHVS as a specialist division of the BVA, to the recognition of homoeopathic qualifications for inclusion in the RCVS Register, and to the awarding of CPD credits for any homoeopathic educational course.

The Society believes that animal welfare is best served if it is impossible for those neglecting animals by administering content-free medicines to claim that they are following an accepted medical practice.  It therefore calls on the RCVS to issue a clear statement that homoeopathy is not recognised as acceptable veterinary practice, and to caution animal owners that such treatment, even if administered by a veterinary surgeon, is not valid medical practice.

The Society supports the position that any veterinary surgeon who makes therapeutic claims for ultradilute preparations, and/or administers such a preparation in preference to a licensed medicine, is guilty of gross professional misconduct.

Membership

Full membership is open to all Members, Fellows and Honorary Associates of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

There are also three classes of Associate membership:

• Student Associate membership is open to anyone who can convince the Hon. Secretary that they are a bona fide student studying for a registrable degree at a veterinary school in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland.
• VN Associate membership is open to all qualified VNs.
• Overseas Associate membership is open to all veterinary surgeons who are not members of the RCVS.

Please email the Hon. Sec. to register as an Associate Member.

Full or associate membership is an opportunity for veterinary professionals to signify their agreement with the aims of the Society as detailed above.  It confers no other obligations, and names of members will not be made public - only total membership numbers.  Any member willing to have his or her name publicly listed as supporting the Society should attempt the examination for the VetMFVoo diploma, if successful(!) their name will then be added to the list below.

About the Society

The BVVS holds no meetings.

It has no committee.

However, it has a loose association of interested parties, who like to style themselves officebearers.

It collects no money.  (Sorry, Niall!)

It does not run an email discussion group.  Anyone wanting to discuss unconventional forms of veterinary medicine in a sceptical atmosphere might like to visit the Task Force for Veterinary Science and get involved in the email list there.

It awards two academic diplomas - see the Academic Departments section for full details of syllabus and requirements.  Holders of these awards are listed below, and we might just get round to putting forward a case to the RCVS for including this list in the Register alongside Members holding the VetMFHom and VetFFHom.

Membership statistics

Full members:  92

Overseas associate members:  8

List of ordinary members is confidential.

VOODOOISTS

Members who have been awarded a veterinary voodoo qualification by the Faculty of Voodooists.

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