The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has a new president, and the role's first stated priority is national disease preparedness.

The incoming president used the transition of leadership to place preparedness for animal disease outbreaks at the top of the association's agenda, according to Farmers Guardian's report on the appointment. The announcement positions veterinary involvement in national biosecurity and outbreak response as the defining issue of the new presidential term.

For veterinary practices in the UK, the agenda item signals likely attention to how the profession engages with government disease surveillance, reporting structures, and on-farm biosecurity in the period ahead. The BVA presidency rotates annually, and each incoming president sets thematic priorities that shape the association's lobbying and public messaging for the term.

Disease preparedness has grown in salience across the UK livestock sector in recent years, following outbreaks such as avian influenza and ongoing concerns over notifiable diseases. The new president's decision to name the issue as the top agenda item places the veterinary profession's voice squarely within that policy conversation.

Further detail on the specific policies, campaigns, or working groups the new president intends to launch under the preparedness banner was not included in the initial report. The association's full presidential agenda is expected to unfold over the coming months as the new term begins.