It is widely accepted that our dietary choices have an impact on the environment, but how does this relate to the diet of our horses? The average 500 kg horse eats between 7.5 and 8 kg of hay per day, which equates to some 225 to 240 kg per month per horse. To produce it, a variety of grasses are grown in fields then cut, dried and bailed. Meadow hay is the most common type, consisting of a mix of plants from mature meadows including Timothy and dandelions. Other hays, differing in plant composi

Third year veterinary students, in collaboration with the BEVA Sustainability Working Group, are asking vets and owners to share their views on the use and environmental impact of equine anthelmintics in two surveys. Every response will help to understand the issue better, and each respondent will be entered into a prize draw to win a £10 Amazon voucher. Please spare five minutes to complete the survey and share the links below amongst colleagues and clients. Complete the vet survey Co

For the first time, global warming has exceeded 1.5oC over an entire 12 month period, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. This does not break the Paris Agreement 1.5oC limit – as that refers to long-term warming – but it “does bring the world closer to doing so”. It is considered by many to be a “significant milestone” that highlights the challenges of keeping the 1.5oC long-term limit in reach. The temperature rise in the past year

The new environmental sustainability module of the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme became effective on 1st of June 2023. The requirement for all practices to have a written environmental sustainability policy is now one of the core standards, meaning that all veterinary practices, whether they are part of the Practice Standards Scheme or not must comply with this requirement. So, what is an environmental sustainability policy? This is a document that recognises the environmental impact that a bus

BEVA Sustainability Group member Julia Shrubb discusses sustainability in equine wound management. Bandaging is often a key part to wound management and results in large volumes of waste. There are also significant environmental costs, using energy and resources, to produce, transport and dispose of bandaging materials. Many people do not stop to consider what happens to waste once it has been put in the bin. There are of course financial and environmental costs to disposing of anything. “

There are several options for the treatment of equine asthma, in addition to environmental modifications. Human metered dose inhalers (MDI) have been used in horses with equine asthma for many years, but many people are unaware of their surprisingly large carbon footprint. Pressurised metered dose inhalers (pMDI), such as Ventolin or Clenil Modulite inhalers, contain hydroflourocarbon (HFC) propellants that are very powerful greenhouse gases. Inhalers containing chloroflourocarbon (CFC) propella

Although volatile anaesthetic agents (such as isoflurane and sevoflurane) are emitted in relatively low quantities into the environment, they are disproportionately effective greenhouse gases, owing to their ability to absorb infrared radiation within an atmospheric ‘cooling window’ in which absorption of radiation is normally minimal. In fact, one hour of equine anaesthesia (using sevoflurane) may be equivalent to driving up to 184 miles. Fortunately, a few simple changes to our equ

As large animal vets, we spend a huge amount of time in our cars, and thus transport accounts for a large proportion of our environmental impact. Reduce your carbon footprint today by following these hints from BEVA’s Lucy Grieve and Callum James Haseler. Drive more efficiently Subtle changes like slowing down and accelerating smoothly can make a big difference to fuel consumption. There are companies which provide eco-driving courses and it is well worth investing in one of these at your

If food waste were a country, it would be the world’s third largest emitter after China and the USA. Our Sustainability Working Group tells us more... Food waste is one of the biggest contributors to climate change. Globally 25-30% of total food produced is wasted, wasting significant resources such as land, energy and water and contributing to 8-10% of the total man-made greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a common misconception that most food is wasted by retailers or during the food pr