At the beginning of 2021, Westover Vets—an independent, vet-owned and run practice with large and small animal branches across Norfolk—decided to formalise our environmental efforts by joining the well-recognised Investors in the Environment (iiE) award scheme. We wanted recognition of our work, but also a framework within which we could continue to develop and progress.

We had a practice ‘Green Group’ before joining iiE but have found that membership of the scheme has helped us to establish an Environmental Policy as well as find and prioritise our biggest impacts and areas to improve. We have looked at our resource use (electricity, heating oil, water), waste production and the mileage of our van fleet, and put in place an action plan to reduce the impact from each of these. Looking at the overall carbon footprint for the large animal branches, the van fleet contributes greater than 60% to total emissions. We have looked at ways to reduce miles travelled per appointment, encourage vets to drive more efficiently(!) and decrease client miles by drug deliveries direct from supplier. As soon as technology meets requirements we hope to electrify the fleet and are looking towards government support to facilitate this transition.

As part of wider practice developments we have committed to replacing the inefficient oil heating and hot water system with an air source heat pump within the next six months, as well as installing a solar array to power the building and, in time, electric car charging.

Excitingly, we have also joined the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, a government program to encourage landowners to look after and improve the environment. We are very fortunate to own around 18 hectares of farmland around the large animal practice, previously a mix of grazing and arable land, and have set about converting this to a system specifically designed to encourage biodiversity with a range of measures including wildflowers for birds and pollinators, new ponds and hedgerows and woodland creation. We are measuring biodiversity through the year and are excited to see the range and numbers of species recorded increasing. We are also measuring soil organic matter as an indication of carbon sequestration.

We recognise that environmental protection is not just about carbon emissions, so have taken steps to reduce the use of potentially harmful drugs such anti-parasitics and antibiotics, through colleague and client education. We have performed an audit of antibiotic use and were delighted to find that our use of Highest Priority – Critically Important Antibiotics (HP-CIAs) has declined to zero. Sometimes it is as simple as not stocking a particular drug – it’s amazing how you learn to cope without it!

Whilst we commenced various exciting projects, 2021 felt very much like a foundation year, as much about establishing baselines as making progress. For each year going forward we will have an increasingly robust collection of data to benchmark against and prioritise actions, helping us reach our goal of carbon negativity by 2035. We were delighted to be awarded the iiE Silver award in June, and will be gunning for Green next year!

We recognise that environmental protection is not just about carbon emissions, so have taken steps to reduce the use of potentially harmful drugs such anti-parasitics and antibiotics, through colleague and client education. We have performed an audit of antibiotic use and were delighted to find that our use of Highest Priority – Critically Important Antibiotics (HP-CIAs) has declined to zero. Sometimes it is as simple as not stocking a particular drug – it’s amazing how you learn to cope without it!

Whilst we commenced various exciting projects, 2021 felt very much like a foundation year, as much about establishing baselines as making progress. For each year going forward we will have an increasingly robust collection of data to benchmark against and prioritise actions, helping us reach our goal of carbon negativity by 2035. We were delighted to be awarded the iiE Silver award in June, and will be gunning for Green next year!