Eville & Jones appoints Jane Downes as veterinary advisor
Veterinary inspection services provider Eville & Jones has announced the appointment of Jane Downes BVSc MRCVS as veterinary advisor to the Board.
In the newly created role at the company, which provides official veterinary inspections at meat production premises, Downes will report directly to the Board and also work closely with CEO Charles Hartwell and director of operations Jon Stanford.
The main focus of the role will be advising and supporting the Board from a veterinary standpoint, particularly in relation to the company’s growth strategy. This will include helping the Board formulate and communicate its opinion on government and regulatory policy – high on the agenda at the moment are the RCVS’s Temporary Registration policy and the FSA’s Operational Transformation Plan consultation.
After graduating from Veterinary School at Bristol University, Downes entered general veterinary practice in North Yorkshire and from there, went on to specialise in veterinary public health. She joined the Meat Hygiene Service, then latterly the Food Standards Agency where was appointed Veterinary and Technical Director in 2002. In 2010, she led the Chemical Safety Group within the Food Standards Agency and she continues to work with all sectors of the food chain and research organisations with the aim of improving food safety and animal welfare.
Downes’ current roles include: the chair of the Pig Health and Welfare Council; a member of Defra’s Animal Welfare Committee and chair of its Welfare at Slaughter group; a member of the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons; chair of Food and Drink Qualifications Ltd (FDQ), which provides qualifications and apprenticeship endpoint assessments across the food chain.
Charles Hartwell said: “We feel very privileged to have acquired the considerable talent and knowledge that Jane has following her 30-plus years in the industry. Her veterinary input will be instrumental to the formulation of our ambitious growth strategy and we are hugely looking forward to welcoming her into the Eville & Jones fold.”
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