Chief Veterinary Officer (United Kingdom) facts for kids
The Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) is a very important person in the British government. This person is in charge of all the animal health services across the United Kingdom. Their main job is to protect the health of animals, prevent diseases, and make sure our food from animals is safe. They give expert advice to the government on all things related to animal health and welfare.
Each country within the UK – Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland – also has its own Chief Veterinary Officer. These officers work closely with the main UK CVO to keep animals healthy in their specific regions.
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Chief Veterinary Officers for the UK
This list shows the people who have held the important job of Chief Veterinary Officer for the entire United Kingdom over the years:
- Alexander Curtis Cope, 1893–1905
- Sir Stewart Stockman, 1905–1926
- Sir James Joseph Ralph Jackson, 1926–1932
- Sir Percy John Luxton Kelland, 1932–1938
- Sir Daniel Alfred Edmond Cabot, 1938–1948
- Sir Thomas Dalling FRSE, 1948–1952
- Sir John Neish Ritchie, 1952–1965
- John Reid, 1965–1970
- A G Beynon, 1970–1973
- A C L Brown, 1973–1980
- William Howard Rees, August 1980 – May 1988
- Keith Meldrum, June 1988 – April 1997
- James Scudamore, April 1997 – March 2004
- Dr Debby Reynolds, March 2004 – November 2007
- Fred Landeg, November 2007 – May 2008 (He was the acting CVO before getting the full job.)
- Nigel Gibbens, 21 May 2008 – 28 February 2018
- Christine Middlemiss, 1 March 2018 – present
Chief Veterinary Officers for Wales
Here are the people who have served as the Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales:
- Dr Christianne Glossop, June 2005 – present
Chief Veterinary Officers for Scotland
The role of Chief Veterinary Officer for Scotland was created in October 2002. Here are the people who have held this position:
- Leslie Gardner, October 2002 – March 2003
- Charles Milne, March 2003 – June 2009
- Simon Hall, June 2009 – June 2011
- Sheila Voas, June 2011– present (She was the acting CVO before getting the full job in October 2012.)
Chief Veterinary Officers for Northern Ireland
These are the individuals who have held the position of Chief Veterinary Officer for Northern Ireland:
- Dr Robert (Bob) Milligan McCracken, 1998–2002
- R M Houston, 2002–2013
- Robert J Huey, 2013–2024
- Brian Dooher, 2024-present
