The winners of the prestigious Ceva Animal Welfare Awards 2019 have been announced in a glittering ceremony in The Mercian Suite at the Birmingham Conference & Events Centre in Birmingham, following a record-breaking number of nominations of the highest calibre for the third consecutive year.

The awards were hosted by TV presenter and animal lover, Matt Baker, and renowned retired veterinary surgeon, Chris Laurence MBE FRCVS, who puts his name to the Vet of the Year Award.  They recognise the achievements of remarkable people from the farming, veterinary and charity industries, who go beyond the call of duty to better the lives of animals around the world. 

The awards’ ceremony on 3 April in the run up to BSAVA (British Small Animal Veterinary Association) Congress saw praise bestowed on all the shortlisted nominees and winners were announced across eight categories.

Once again, an esteemed panel of industry professionals chaired by Chris Laurence were challenged with selecting the worthy shortlisted individuals and groups and the ultimate winners.

Speaking at the ceremony, chair of the judging panel, Chris Laurence, said: “Once again the breadth of nominations for the Welfare Awards has amazed and enthused the judging panel.  The new categories this year have been well supported and widened the field of nominees as well as increasing the number of nominations.  There have been some outstanding finalists and those who have won should be justifiably proud to have done so against some stiff competition.  Of course, the real winners in all this are the animals whose welfare has been improved and the message that has given about the importance of animal welfare to those who have come into contact with all the nominees.”

Winners of the Ceva Animal Welfare Awards 2019 by category, are:

 Chris Laurence Vet of the Year Award in association with Vet Record

Hannah Capon, Canine Arthritis Management

Vet Nurse of the Year Award in association with Agria Pet Insurance

Rachel Wright, TOLFA

Charity Team of the Year Award in association with PDSA

Ebony Horse Club, Brixton

Charitable Contribution of the Year Award in association with Blue Cross 

Fiona Gammell, Wicklow Animal Welfare

Farmer of the Year Award in association with R.A.B.I.

David Finlay, Rainton Farm, Castle Douglas

Farm Educator of the Year in association with NADIS

James Griffiths from Taynton Court Farm, Gloucester

International Cat Care Welfare of the Year Award

Ian MacFarlaine, chief inspector of SPCA in Bermuda

One individual was given special recognition during the evening.  The Outstanding Contribution to Animal Welfare Award in association with Your Dog and Your Cat was presented to Professor Jacky Reid, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow and CEO of the innovative research company, NewMetrica.  Jacky and her multi-disciplinary team of renowned academics from the University of Glasgow have dedicated over 20 years to researching pain and quality of life measurement in pets.  Her work into these vital areas at the University of Glasgow and, since retiring from the University, as part of NewMetrica is truly innovative and widely respected and she works tirelessly to broaden its reach for the benefit of the welfare of animals.

The winners were presented with their coveted awards on stage by Matt Baker and Chris Laurence, alongside a representative from each of the category sponsors including: Blue Cross, PDSA, International Cat Care, Vet Record, Agria Pet Insurance, NADIS, R.A.B.I. and Your Dog and Your Cat magazines.

“It is the second consecutive year that I have presented the Ceva Animal Welfare Awards and once again I am touched and humbled by the individuals and organisations who work tirelessly to enhance and promote animal welfare both in the UK and abroad to make a real difference to the lives of animals,” commented, co-host of the awards, Matt Baker.

“The vision, dedication and hard work demonstrated by each and every award winner is truly outstanding,” commented, Cuneyt Seckin, managing director of Ceva Animal Health UK and Ireland.  “We had a brilliant evening celebrating our remarkable winners and would like to congratulate each and every one of them on their fantastic achievement.”

For further information on the Ceva Animal Welfare Awards visit www.cevawelfareawards.com