Leading conservationist set to create a buzz at BVA Congress

Professor Dave Goulson, a leading bee ecologist, author and founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, will deliver the 57th annual Wooldridge Memorial Lecture at BVA Congress during London Vet Show (LVS) this year.

The lecture, titled Companion animal parasiticides and biodiversity: the crucial role of vets, will take place on Friday 15 November between 11am and 12.15pm in the BVA Congress Theatre.

Professor Goulson is Professor of Biology at University of Sussex with more than 350 scientific articles on the ecology and conservation of bumblebees and other insects to his name. He is the author of several bestselling books, including A Buzz in the Meadow (2014), The Garden Jungle (2019) and Silent Earth (2021), and the recipient of many awards and honours, including being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2013 and given Zoological Society of London’s Clarivate Award for Communicating Zoology in 2020.

His lecture will lay out the evidence on the rapid decline in insect abundance and its consequences, looking at the role that veterinary medicines may be playing in this decline. In particular, he will focus on the impact of parasiticides applied to companion animals, and the research from his lab at Sussex University which shows that spot-on flea treatments are significant contributors to river pollution. The audience will also have an opportunity to pose questions.

Professor Goulson said:

“I’m delighted and honoured to be asked to deliver BVA’s Wooldridge Memorial Lecture. I’ve spent my life studying insects and attempting to combat their declines. Recently, veterinary ectoparasiticides used on dogs and cats have been implicated as contributing to biodiversity loss, particularly through contributing to pollution of our rivers. I will discuss the evidence, ask the veterinary profession to consider solutions, and more broadly issue a plea for taking a more holistic view of veterinary practices which consider the wider impacts of decisions on the environment and human health.”

British Veterinary Association Senior Vice President Dr. Anna Judson said:

“We know that vets are concerned about the impact of parasiticides on the environment, which is why BVA has been leading discussions around using these products carefully and advises a risk-based approach to help minimise environmental impact. Prof. Goulson’s lecture will offer the latest insights from his research and probe possible solutions to help vets better protect not only animals, but also their owners as well as the environment.”

The first Wooldridge Memorial Lecture, posthumously named after veterinary politician and researcher Dr W R Wooldridge, was delivered at BVA Congress in 1967 by Professor Lord Stamp and, over the years, has been followed by lectures from eminent speakers including the Princess Royal (1992), President of the Animal Health Trust; Sir Robert May FRS, Chief Scientific Adviser, Office of Science and Technology (1999); Dr John Bradshaw, author of bestsellers “Dog Sense/In Defence of Dogs” and “Cat Sense” (2015); author and campaigner Ben Goldacre (2017) and pioneering animal welfare scientist Temple Grandin (2019).

Find the BVA Congress programme and buy your tickets for London Vet Show here.