New leaders at RUMA
Catherine (Cat) McLaughlin has been elected new chair of RUMA, the UK agriculture and food industry alliance which promotes responsible use of medicines in farm animals. Formerly deputy chair of the organisation, she takes over the reins from Gwyn Jones at the end of his final term in the role, with Dawn Howard appointed as new deputy chair.
The elections took place at RUMA’s annual general meeting in London on March 4. McLaughlin, who is also chief animal health and welfare adviser with the NFU and a director of Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority (AMTRA), said she was stepping into the chair’s position at a time of emerging challenges.
She said: “Over the past six years, the UK livestock industry has secured remarkable progress in voluntarily improving antibiotic stewardship, halving use to achieve some of the lowest sales in Europe both overall and of highest-priority Critically Important Antibiotics.
“However, there’s more to do. New challenges are emerging all the time – including resistance to other medicines such as anthelmintics, novel scientific research that will inform changes in practices, and rapidly-evolving political, climatic and social environments.
“Steering the livestock sectors through this will continue to be RUMA’s remit. I look forward to bringing my knowledge and experience – alongside that of my new deputy chair, Dawn, the members of the RUMA board and the Independent Scientific Group – to help the livestock industries face these challenges.”