First and foremost, vaccination has provided the single greatest contribution to the health of our pets over recent decades.

It is absolutely necessary if we want to prevent major epidemics of disease in this country and the issue raised regarding over-vaccination of pets is simply not justified.

Furthermore, as a highly trained and responsible professional, the veterinary surgeon has one priority, the health and welfare of animals that visit the practice.

As such, the profession is duty bound to adhere to the best scientific information available to them at any given time.

The Veterinary Products Committee (VPC) - an independent, expert advisory group reporting to and advising both the licensing authority and the Government – has emphasised the safety and value of vaccination, and presented data on the extremely low prevalence of adverse reactions to these products in dogs and cats.

The VPC recommended that at this time there was insufficient justification to alter current data sheet recommendations for companion animal vaccines. To date the veterinary professional bodies have seen no justification to deviate from the VPC’s advice.

Veterinary surgeons must ensure that as many animals as possible are fully protected against killer diseases such as parvovirus, hepatitis, distemper and leptospirosis and that this protection is maintained throughout their life.

The fact remains that we still do not know enough about the true duration of immunity in individual animals but we do know enough to be able to say that not all vaccines necessarily provide lifelong protection.

The degree and duration of immunity can vary greatly between different individuals and many external factors also have to be taken into account. Without actually testing the immune status of the animal for every disease, one cannot know the level of immunity it possesses.

Whilst this testing is possible it incurs extra expense to the owner and may well serve only to demonstrate that the animal does indeed require a booster vaccination. We have no problem with discussing this issue with our clients.

If, after consultation with their veterinary surgeon, a client decides that they wish their pet to have less frequent vaccinations, we are happy for the vet to do so – this represents informed consent on the part of the owner – but we see no reason to vary from the legal requirement to follow data sheet recommendations otherwise.

Given the proven safety of companion animal vaccines and in the light of the best scientific evidence presented to practitioners in this country from independent bodies such as the VPC, we see no reason to change vaccination policy at this time.

Should new information appear that proves differently, then our profession will respond accordingly.

BSAVA President, on the Radio 4 Today.