Veterinary group expands in UK poultry sector

Westpoint, the UK’s largest veterinary group dealing with production animals, has further strengthened its position in the poultry sector with the acquisition of Poultry Health Services.

The move follows Westpoint’s recent corporate merger with the Minster Veterinary Practice, which marked a major step by the group into poultry.

See also: Minster Vets joins forces with Westpoint

Led by Paul McMullin, Poultry Health Services provides a full range of technical, analytical and advisory services. These include laboratory testing, as well as post-mortem examinations by staff veterinarians and diagnostic services for farms and processing plants.

It has laboratory facilities in Cambridgeshire and North Yorkshire, handling over 20,000 samples a month.

Mr McMullin said he was delighted to have joined Westpoint. “The highly active clinical governance and knowledge transfer structure within the Westpoint Group drives quality and science throughout the business, ensuring my clients will benefit from a progressive, cutting-edge approach to the advancement of poultry medicine and service,” he said.

Minster Veterinary Practice chairman, Keith Warner, said the move would expand the poultry capability of the whole group, both in terms of volume and expertise.

“The Westpoint Group’s approach is supportive, but rather hands off,” he added. “They believe, correctly in my view, that successful quality veterinary practices exist because of the service and value they provide to their customers.”

Westpoint said the move would strengthen its laboratory capability, as Poultry Health Services provides services that are not part of its existing Biobest Laboratories range.