AMTRA top students rewarded

The top students from the 2004 Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority manufacturers’ examinations have been rewarded for their achievements.

Top in the April 2004 examination was Alan Allister of Elanco Animal Health with Rebecca Hardcastle, formerly of Arnolds Veterinary Products, as runner-up. Winner of the September 2004 award was David Selway from Novartis Animal Health and Kerri Cooper from Intervet UK was runner-up. And the December 2004 winner was Tamsin Palmer from Bayer Animal Health with Sarah Ritter from Pfizer Animal Health as runner-up. They received their awards from Mr Ted Chandler, Chief Executive of the Animal Health Trust at the Annual Dinner of the National Office of Animal Health, on 20 April, in London.

As part of NOAH’s commitment to industry self-regulation, all manufacturers’ representatives are required to register with AMTRA and pass the AMTRA manufacturers examination, to guarantee that the highest quality of advice is given to veterinarians, merchants, pharmacists and farmers. This has been a requirement of NOAH membership since 1991, with the syllabus regularly revised to keep it up to date.

AMTRA is the independent regulatory body ensuring the responsible marketing and distribution of animal medicines in the UK. It holds examinations which need to be passed to gain an AMTRA qualification. There are four registers, to cover the spread of medicines distribution – for manufacturers, animal health distributors, saddlers and those involved with GSL pet medicines. To acknowledge the hard work needed to gain the manufacturers’ qualification, each year NOAH sponsors prizes for the highest scoring entrants in these examinations.

NOAH chief executive Phil Sketchley said: “Once again these AMTRA students have achieved excellent standards in what is a very high level academically recognised qualification. Their hard work is a credit to themselves, their companies and the animal health industry. The AMTRA qualifications are designed to ensure that the highest standards of training, education and professional conduct are upheld, right across the whole spectrum of animal medicine distribution.”

Ends

20 April 2005

Notes for Editors

1. For further information contact: NOAH - Phil Sketchley or Alison Glennon on 020 8367 3131, or e-mail noah@noah.co.uk or visit the NOAH website www.noah.co.uk; AMTRA - Mrs Winn Dawson on 01394 411010, or e-mail info@amtra.org.uk or visit the AMTRA website www.amtra.org.uk

2. A photograph of the AMTRA prizewinners is available to download on the NOAH website homepage, or call Alison Glennon or Joanne Jeffs at NOAH on 020 8367 3131 to be emailed an electronic copy.

3. AMTRA is an independent regulatory body whose task it is to ensure that the distribution of animal medicines in the UK is undertaken in a responsible manner by qualified persons. The board of AMTRA comprises an independent chairman and vice-chairman, two directors appointed by DEFRA, two from NOAH, three from Animal Health Distributors Association and one each from National Farmers Union, Pet Care Trust, British Veterinary Association, Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, and British Equestrian Trade Association.

4. The National Office of Animal Health was formed on 1 January 1986 to represent the UK companies which research, develop, manufacture and market licensed animal health products. The association has 32 corporate members and 13 associate members. In 2004 NOAH's members accounted for well over 90% of the £420 million UK animal health market.

Prizewinners’ biographies

April 2004

Winner - Alan Allister, Elanco Animal Health
Alan Allister has been involved in the agriculture industry all his life. Prior to joining Elanco Animal Health in Jan 2001, he was working in the animal feed industry in a Sales and Marketing Manager role. After joining Elanco he worked initially in the ruminant sector in the Republic of Ireland before gradually taking responsibility for some sectors of the pig business as well. He felt it was quite a change to move to the pharmaceutical industry, but one that has worked out extremely well. In June 2003 he moved from the ruminant sector and took overall responsibility for Elanco's Pig and Poultry business in Ireland (North and South). He has been fulfilling that role since.

Mr Allister is married with 2 step-sons and a daughter. Originally from Co. Fermanagh, he now lives in Co. Armagh. His main interests are time spent with his family which is important because his job necessitates a lot of time spent away from home, within Ireland and further afield, both inside and outside Europe. His hobbies include rugby and golf, although having played a lot of rugby he is now, he says, just a frustrated spectator!

Runner-up - Rebecca Hardcastle - formerly with Arnolds Veterinary Products
Rebecca Hardcastle is a New Zealander with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Physiology. She worked in New Zealand as a veterinary nurse and as a veterinary pharmaceutical representative, before moving to the UK in 2001. While in the UK she worked in the veterinary industry as a territory manager, lastly for Arnolds Veterinary Products in the Southeast of England.

She returned to New Zealand in 2004 and now have a similar position for a company called Petware. She now lives in a farmhouse, and she has two dogs, two cats and four chickens!

September 2004

Winner - David Selway, Novartis Animal Health
David Selway is 35 years old, married with 2 children and living in central Somerset. His main interests revolve around playing and competing in sports such as cycling, running and football, as well as reading.

After leaving college he became a farm manager for 11 years before leaving to join Badcock & Evered, an agricultural merchant in West Somerset. He joined Novartis Animal Health in May 2003 as Farm Account Manager covering the South West of England. This includes dealing with farmers and the trade on a daily basis.

Runner-up - Kerri Cooper, Intervet UK
Kerri Cooper works as an Account Manager for Intervet UK Ltd, covering a southern area which includes Hampshire, Sussex, Wiltshire, Surrey and Berkshire. She has been with the company for almost two years now following relocation from Bedford last summer – at last she has escaped the M1/M25 trauma! Previously she worked abroad in France for an IT company, spent 6 months teaching horse riding and a year out travelling round China, South East Asia, Indonesia and Australia.

December 2004

Winner - Tamsin Palmer, Bayer Animal Health
Tamsin Palmer is a sales representative for Bayer Animal Health in the Northwest (South Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales. She has been with Bayer for the last 18 months, before that she was with Pharmacia for a year. She has got a BSc (Hons) in Equine Science from Writtle Agricultural College. She recently got married (last Oct) and enjoys walking, going to the gym and horse riding. She adds that she would like to thank Bayer for their continued support that has made achieving this award possible.

Runner-up - Sarah Ritter - Pfizer Animal Health
Sarah Ritter graduated from Harper Adams University College in 2002 with a BSc. Honours degree in Agriculture with Animal Science. She works as a Livestock Territory Manager with the Beef and Equine POM products for Pfizer Animal Health. Her territory stretches from Barnsley down to the south coast, on the east side of the country. She lives in the northern part of her territory, near Buxton, in the heart of the Peak District. The main bulk of the cattle business for the territory is concentrated into patches, with the equine business concentrating around the South east.

She comes from an 840 acre hill farm, supporting 1500 breeding ewes and 150 suckler cows of various breeds and has always had a keen interest and link with the agricultural industry. Other work has included a couple of placement periods in Scotland, on two significant sheep research projects, one with the Moredun Research Institute and the other on the Island of St Kilda.

She is a member of several agricultural organisations, holding various posts at local club level and other interests include sheep breeding and showing, working sheep dogs, playing the clarinet and piano, travelling and swimming.