Send a Cow appoints senior vet as its vice-chair

The charity has been delivering innovative training in sustainable agriculture, livestock support, enterprise development and transformational change to communities in eastern and southern Africa for 34 years. It no longer “sends cows” to Africa, but the role of animal-derived protein in preventing malnutrition, particularly in young children, and the value of livestock manure and urine in restoring depleted soils, are valued components in the organisation’s farm systems approach.

Simon has been involved in Send a Cow’s work for over a decade, as an ambassador and through the provision of technical advice to the programmes team. He joined the Board in 2019 and has chaired its Programmes Committee since 2020.

“As a livestock veterinarian with a special interest in One Health and sustainability, it is crucial for me that our programmes deliver measurable impact on the wellbeing of livestock, the environment and the community,” he says.

“The organisation’s training enables smallholder farmers to understand why exemplary management of one or two farm animals is better than poor management of more.”

Send a Cow chairman, John Geake, says: “We couldn’t be where we are today, as an authoritative organisation delivering life-saving programmes whose impact extends far beyond the farmers we directly train, without our respected history in effective and compassionate livestock management.

“Simon has done invaluable work in developing our relationships with the veterinary communities in the countries where we work, and here in the UK: with the BVA, the BCVA, XLvets, and the CVOs. We’re delighted that he will be bringing his professional experience, as well as a wider perspective, to this new role on the Send a Cow Board.”