LOCAL AM Elin Jones has urged the Welsh Government to retain veterinary services in Ceredigion.

Ms Jones was responding to the announcement by the Welsh Government of a review of how the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) will undertake surveillance to detect threats to animal health.

The review, announced by the Welsh Government on December 4, aims to improve the way potential threats to animal health are identified, and make better use of expertise from private vets, universities and the farming industry.

As part of the review, it is suggested that current post-mortem services carried out at the veterinary laboratory at y Buarth, Aberystwyth, will continue until April 2014, with options for the future of services in the Aberystwyth area currently being assessed.

Elin Jones said: “I welcome a review into how we can best manage threats to animal health in the future. I see it as essential, though, that services continue to be provided locally in Ceredigion. The veterinary centre at Aberystwyth is long-established, and is a centre for expertise in the area.

“The review’s focus on better utilizing academic expertise is also a strong justification for retaining an important facility in the Ceredigion area, as links could be developed further with Aberystwyth University’s renowned Institute for Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) based on campuses at Penglais and Penrhyn-coch, and its associated specialist spin-off companies.”