Vets have expressed concern that the inclusion of the Caribbean Economic Community in an overhaul of veterinary standards on the Island might not meet the proposed criteria.

After working for more than a decade on new regulations of practice, vets have welcomed Government's Bill to set up a disciplinary council and registry of practitioners. However, they claim Government has failed to consult with them over the "last-minute" inclusion of CARICOM.

The Veterinary Practitioners Act 2008 was tabled last month in Parliament and is due to be debated shortly in the House of Assembly. The Bill aims to ensure that each practitioner is suitably qualified and complies with professional standards.

The Act sets up a Veterinary Practitioners Council to promote standards, with powers to investigate all allegations of professional misconduct. A Registry of Veterinary Practitioners also bars those not registered and meeting its professional criteria from treating sick and injured animals, under penalty of a $5,000 fine or six months' imprisonment.

Veterinary certificate holders under the Agriculture Act 1930 will automatically qualify for the register. The Bill also states that overseas practitioners must either be a member of the UK's Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, or hold a 'valid licence' in the US, Canada, European Union or Caribbean Economic Community to qualify.

But yesterday, Bermuda Veterinary Association president Dr. Andrew Madeiros said practitioners were concerned that some veterinary courses in the Caribbean were currently short of Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons standards.

"Our only concern with the Act in its present form is the last-minute addition of a new class of registration including practitioners licenced in CARICOM and CARICOM affiliates," he said.

"These countries do nothing to ensure that an acceptable standard of veterinary care is met. Most will take anyone who graduates from a veterinary programme, whether the programme is accredited or not. There are significant differences in the education and training offered by some universities."

Mr. Madeiros said: "The accreditation programme attempts to standardise this. In addition in the US, Canada and the UK/EU, licencing agencies monitor the university programmes and graduates carefully. In the US and Canada minimum acceptable standards of practice dictate that all graduates also pass a board exam before licencing. This is the standard we have always accepted and recommended be included in the Act.

"My understanding is that someone in Government has been communicating with someone overseas about the universities in the CARICOM countries, and it has been said they are trying to get accreditation and get all of their students up to US/UK standards. This would be great but could take a long time. We need to make sure that our students understand that in order to succeed, they need to meet the minimum standards of practice in the US, Canada, the EU or UK. Not all universities may provide that."

He said: "We are recommending not accepting CARICOM licencing unless the individual meets our current licencing requirements. Obviously once those universities become accredited and those students meet US, Canada, UK/EU standards, there will be no issue.

"Otherwise we are very pleased with the Act and are looking forward to its progress."