Cattle Congress brings livestock vets together

I have six teachers in my family, and they have started to moan, which means one thing… Autumn is on its way. For large animal vets, this season also indicates an increase in workload, as well as a juggling of rotas as people attempt to attend the various Congresses so that they can catch up with friends, perhaps even with the boss paying for the hotel!

Being a curious sort, I have wondered ‘why is it called a Congress?’ Not surprisingly the term derives from the Latin congressus, which in the late Middle English times denoted an encounter during a battle! Certainly, there might be the odd debate in the bar, when sunrise is closer than sunset, but in looking further back into how the word ‘congress’ came into being (‘con’ (together) and ‘gradi’ (walk)), we get to the crux of what British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) Congress 2024 is about: unifying (practice life) and progressing (looking forward).