CVA Country Councillor Profile – Dr Steve Pointing of the Falkland Islands

Q1. Tell us about you, your family and where you live?

My name is Stephen Pointing and I am the Senior Veterinary Officer at the Department of Agriculture in the Falkland Islands. I live in Stanley, the capital and only large settlement, within the Islands. I live here alone at the moment because my wife and the rest of my family (2 sons and 1 daughter) all live and work in the UK.

Q2. What is your favourite food?

That’s a difficult one. As far as English food is concerned I think it would have to be roast beef and all the trimmings with my wife’s lemon meringue pie as my favourite dessert. Internationally I really like a good Indian curry.

Q3. Do you have any favourite music?

I do. I really like classical music of all sorts but my favourite composers would have to be Rachmaninov, Chopin, Mozart and Beethoven. I particularly like piano music. As to modern music – I am not that enamoured by it and am firmly stuck in the music of the 60’s and 70’s which corresponded to my teenage years.

Q4. What is your favourite sport?

My favourite sport is tennis but I also like rugby and cricket. I’m too old for the latter two sports now – so I just like to watch them – but I still try to play tennis twice a week.

Q5. Tell up in a paragraph what your current veterinary position is.

I am the Senior Veterinary Officer in the Falkland Islands Dept. of Agriculture. My role is extremely varied – from routine livestock and small animal medicine and surgery to acting as the competent authority for the Government in relation to exports of meat and fishery products from the Islands. I also have to help draft all the legislation which is connected to the safe production of food and the welfare of animals within the Islands.

Q6. What influenced you to become a veterinarian?

I grew up in a very rural part of the UK (Devon) surrounded by all sorts of farming activity – so I’ve always been interested in farming and the industries connected with it.

Q7. What do you enjoy most about being a veterinarian?

The variety of my current role and interacting with such a diverse and interesting group of colleagues and members of the public.

Q8. What are some of the main challenges for you and your national veterinary association?

Having too much to do with not enough resources (staff, money and time) to do the job as well as I’d like it to be done.

Q9. How do you communicate to your organisation about the CVA and its activities?

I’m sorry to say that I don’t do this. We are a very small number of vets here – only 3 full time and 1 seasonal vet who we employ for the abattoir export season.

Q10. How do you think the CVA can assist you in your Councillor Role?

Honestly speaking I don’t think the CVA can do much to assist my current role. We are members of the CVA not so much for what the CVA can do for us but more to enable us to keep abreast of what is happening in the veterinary world in a very diverse range of countries around the world.