At its annual conference and exhibition this week, the Animal Health Distributors Association (AHDA) will detail its plans to enhance the skills of SQPs working for its member companies.

In an exclusive interview with OvertheCounter, published in the January issue, Bryan Lovegrove, AHDA’s secretary general, said that 35 years on from the founding of AHDA, the original aims of the six ‘founding fathers’ holds true today.

Mr Lovegrove said: “While AHDA had a fantastic victory in Europe in managing to retain multi-channel distribution with the latest Veterinary Medicines Regulations, we won the battle, but that doesn’t mean that we’ve won the war.”

Mr Lovegrove said that his role within AHDA is to continue the original aims of the founding fathers, to protect and develop the SQP channel, particularly where AHDA members are concerned.

He said: “AHDA can’t be a one trick pony; we’ve got to make sure that AHDA is fit for purpose and going into 2020, that we are still supporting SQPs. There are around 7,500 SQPs in the UK and in the AHDA membership, it probably employs around 4,500-5,000 SQPs.

“I’m looking to enhance the AHDA members SQPs to ensure that they are doing what they are supposed to do and are reflective of a professional group within the animal health industry; that goes equally across farm animal, companion animal and equine.”

Mr Lovegrove said that AHDA will develop packages of training materials for AHDA members, which will be either free or at a low cost, which, he said, is likely to encourage non-members to join the association.

AHDA has announced that SQPs attending this week’s AHDA Conference in Birmingham can earn up to 58 CPD points.