PRESS RELEASE: New President for the Sheep Veterinary Society
Jonathan Hobbs became the new President of the Sheep Veterinary Society during the Autumn Conference held in Kilkenny, Ireland from 28th – 30th September. Jonathan takes over the role from Phillipa Page who becomes Senior Vice President as Kim Hamer retires from the committee. Joining the officials is new Junior Vice President Rachel Forster.
Jonathan grew up in Minehead, West Somerset. Neither from farming or veterinary stock, he always wanted to be a veterinary surgeon. As soon as he started “seeing practice” aged 15, he was instantly drawn more towards large animal work. This only continued throughout his time at the Royal Veterinary College, where upon graduating in 2012 he crossed the border into Devon and began working as a mixed-species vet at North Park Veterinary Group. He pursued a farm only career in 2015, moving to a predominantly dairy practice in Somerset, before returning to North Park as the lead farm vet in 2016. He obtained the Diploma in Bovine Reproduction from the University of Liverpool in 2018 and became a Director of North Park in 2019 where he remains.
His work in general practice consists of a genuine mix of dairy, beef and sheep, spanning all types of production system, alongside the responsibilities of running a 50-staff independent veterinary practice. The sheep work in particular has seen exceptional growth over the last 10 years, driven by pro-active and results driven flock health planning. He has a particular interest in endo- and ectoparasites of sheep, with ticks and tick borne diseases being an increasing challenge he sees first hand on Dartmoor and surrounding areas. He sits on SAGG (Sheep Antibiotic Guardian Group), is part of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway co-design group in England, and regularly presents at national conferences.
From L to R Rachel Forster, Jonathan Hobbs and Phillipa Page