Well-known Dalston vet David Black has been appointed president of the British Cattle Veterinary Association for 2025-2026.
The announcement was made at the BCVA Congress in Edinburgh, where outgoing president Kate Richards formally handed over the chain of office.
David is senior director at Paragon Veterinary Group, which has practices across Cumbria, and a founding director of VetSalus and Vet Sustain.
With a distinguished career in veterinary practice, he is widely recognised for his leadership in sustainable livestock farming and cattle breeding technologies.
Having started his career in dairy practice with a strong focus on cattle reproduction, David has become a national voice for sustainability within the veterinary and agricultural professions.
His work has centred on improving livestock health and welfare, promoting genetic traits that reduce the need for antibiotics, and advancing evidence-based farming practices that benefit both animals and the environment.
This month, he also helped to launch the Ruminant Antibiotic Stewardship Roadmap, a major collaborative initiative uniting the UK ruminant sector.
The project aims to promote responsible antibiotic use, gather robust evidence of progress, and ensure that UK farmers and vets remain global leaders in animal health and welfare standards.
David said: “From my personal point of view, it is an honour and a privilege to take on this role to support and represent livestock vets and in particular those involved with cattle.
“This is a time of great change for the profession, with ever-increasing calls for a review of the 1966 Veterinary Surgeons Act, with a concluding Competition and Markets Authority Review, increasing risks of exotic disease incursion from Europe and further afield, and an increasing focus on animal health and welfare and its role in climate change.
“We as livestock vets are trusted advocates and have a responsibility and a duty to work with our animal-owning clients to mitigate climate change – this is most dramatic in the role of ruminants; by continuing to improve health, welfare and productivity we can produce more food with less methane produced and thereby apply an emergency handbrake on climate warming.
“These are exciting times and I look forward to a busy, challenging and enjoyable year ahead.”
