The achievements of the British Veterinary Poultry Association (BVPA) in its efforts to support the industry during the three outbreaks of Avian Influenza in 2015 were recognised at the British Poultry Council (BPC) Awards at the House of Commons recently.

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BPC Awards recipients: (L-R) John Reed, Annabelle Heath, BVPA president David Welchman, Jim McAdam, Andrew Gibson, Mark Spencer MP, Gillian Heoburn Cherrie, Terry Motley, Martin Shea.

The BVPA was awarded the Special Merit award from BPC chairman, John Reed, who said: “The efforts from poultry vets involved in each outbreak of Avian Influenza to support businesses and individuals cannot be ignored. We wanted to recognise their outstanding contribution to the poultry sector for their guidance in contingency planning and their invaluable knowledge and expertise.”

Distinguished Service awards were also presented to Jim McAdam, Aviagen Ltd; Martin Shea, managing director of Hockenhull Turkeys and Terry Motley, head of compliance and technical services at Faccenda Foods.

Annabelle Heath from Cargill Meats Ltd was named BPC-Zoetis Young Trainee of the Year, whilst the BPC scholarship was presented to Gillian Hepburn Cherrie.

Reed commented: “This year’s winners and their achievements reflect the diversity of the industry. It demonstrates that our industry is much more than people might think; we are a professional and highly skilled industry with a lot to be proud of.”

This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.