Speakers - Joint workshop

Hazell Mullins qualified from Nottingham in 2013 and was in full-time mixed practice for eight years in both Cork and Kerry. She worked as large animal director for Highfield Veterinary Group for 18 months in Naas. She is now dairy farming in partnership and locums for local practices in North Cork. She is also a columnist for the Farming supplement of The Irish Examiner and co- founder of Vet Space Ireland. She is also the current president of Veterinary Ireland. 

Martin Blake is the Chief Veterinary Officer with policy responsibility within the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for the ‘One Health, One Welfare’ area, which includes animal health, animal welfare, veterinary public health and food safety.  

Responsibilities also include operational controls across these areas and extending to animal by-products, veterinary medicines, import controls at border controls posts regarding animals, products of animal origin, animal by-products and plant products, as well as certification to support of exports of animals and products of animal origin to existing and new markets.  

He is assisted in these responsibilities by the Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer June Fanning, Director of Operations and Chief Operations Officer, Michael Sheahan and Director of Food Safety and Animal Welfare James Choiseul. 

Dr Rachel Brown is based in Moy Veterinary Clinic, Ballina, Co. Mayo, where she is a partner in a mixed animal practice. Rachel has over 25 years’ experience working as a veterinary practitioner. Rachel has served on the Veterinary Council since January 2018. Rachel served as the Deputy President in 2022-2023 and was elected as President of the Council in January 2024.

Rory qualified from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCD) in 1986. Following an internship in small animal clinical studies in Dublin, he obtained an MSc in drug toxicology from the University of London. After four years in small animal practice, he returned to the Dublin Vet School in 1991 as a lecturer. His PhD was obtained in UCD and involved a study of the immunopathogenesis of idiopathic pododermatitis in the dog. Rory currently teaches various aspects of small animal internal medicine, toxicology and dermatology. In addition, Rory is a member of the Advisory Committee on Veterinary Medicines (Health Products Regulatory Authority) and the Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products (CVMP, European Medicines Agency). Rory is the Chair of the Scientific Advice Working Party (Veterinary) of the CVMP and has been Clinical Director of the UCD Veterinary Hospital since 2015.