BEVA Committee Programme Chair picks her favourite for this year's Congress

With just a few weeks left to take advantage of the super early bird rate for BEVA Congress (10 – 13 September 2025, ICC Birmingham), Congress committee Chair Rose Tallon has shared her top picks from this year’s programme. She believes the event is unmissable for every age, stage and level of expertise within the veterinary profession.

“It’s a real privilege to Chair the BEVA Congress Committee this year,” said Rose. I have a great team, representing a range of interests and expertise within the veterinary world. We are very much ‘by the profession, for the profession' and intend to deliver a delightful mix of expertise and enlightening sessions, with something pertinent to every member of the profession.

“With so many sweet treats in the programme we are giving members the chance to invite someone they miss to #BEVA25 with a free chocolate bar sent in the post! What’s not to like about that!”

Rose’s programme recommendations include:

Fortune telling for neonates: is it worth treating this foal? Pam Wilkins.

“It can be difficult to prognosticate for sick neonates and while we can’t guarantee this lecture will enable you to predict the future, it will equip you with some valuable insights to aid decision making in these tricky cases.” (Saturday, Hall 5, 16.10).

Peri-operative morbidity discussion panel: Kate Loomes, Claudia Gittel, Janny De Graw and Rachel Tucker.

“These three anaesthetists will discuss post operative complications and explore some of the results of the recent CEPEF4 study pertaining to this area.” (Saturday Hall 8B 12.00)

Managing ocular trauma: Best practices for immediate care: Claudia Hartley. 

“Ocular emergencies can be stressful situations for both owners and vets. This lecture will help you to stay calm and confident while effectively triaging these cases.” (Thursday, Hall 5, 16.55).

The Moral Maze: Panellists Mark Bowen and Ebony Escalona, Witnesses Madeleine Campbell (Ethics), Roly Owers (Welfare/ public attitudes, Ian Beamish (Racing). 

“In keeping with this year’s theme of “Use it wisely or lose it forever” this session tackles the hot topic of the use of horses in sport and our social licence to operate. The session is based on the Radio 4 show of the same name and features several expert witnesses who will cover areas such as ethics, welfare, and the use of horses in different equestrian disciplines.” (Friday, Hall 1, 15.30). 

Working Together To Keep The Competition Horse Sound.

“This session explores at a multi-disciplinary approach to treating the sports horse. Join equine physiotherapist Annabelle Galt, farrier Ben Benson and vet Sam Cutts to gain insight into different perspectives on multi limb lameness and optimise treatment outcomes.” (Saturday, Hall 1, 15.30)

Aside from Rose’s hot highlights, the BEVA Congress programme will be embracing the overarching theme of “use it wisely or lose it forever”, chosen by BEVA President Bruce Bladon. 

“Antibiotics is an issue which goes so far beyond equine practice and is one of the genuine threats to humanity,” said Bruce. “We must use these precious and finite resource wisely, or, quite reasonably, regulators will prevent us having access to them. 

“But this theme resonates further, to the “social licence” which threatens the future of equine sport. Rather than platitudes about horse welfare, we now need to show the positive steps we can take to minimise equine injury. We need to be developing screening programmes and to be instrumental in safety programmes. Otherwise, we may lose equestrian sport forever.”

For downtime, Congress delegates can enjoy networking and learning about new products and innovations in the exhibition hall which will be filled with a mix of the industry’s leading suppliers and referral practices. In the evenings they can join the renowned social scene which kicks off with the BEVA President’s Welcome Reception on the Wednesday evening The Alchemist in central Birmingham, sponsored by EVC Compounding Ltd (Tickets £25 for drinks only or £40 for drinks and food).

 Super early bird tickets for BEVA Congress are available now. Tickets provide access to all lecture exhibition halls as well as full access to the virtual Congress hub. Delegates will have access to all Congress content for six months after the event via the hub. You can see the full BEVA Congress programme here.

Individual super early bird BEVA members prices for a three-day pass are £539 for vets and £148 for vet nurses for all three days (with concessionary available for those in their first three years of graduation or earning less than £25,000). Day tickets and practice passes are also available. Super early bird ends on 28 May 2025. 

To invite a friend you miss to Congress with a free chocolate bar click here.

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