Tonight I'm heading down to Gloucestershire to talk to Vet and Sheep farmer, Phillipa Page. 

We discuss her early years in Lancashire in a non-farming family, and her decision at the tender age of ten to one day become a vet. We talk about the years of hard work and dedication that followed, with a degree in Animal Production science at Leeds, followed by 5 years of further study at Liverpool. 

We talk abut the various jobs and experiences Phillipa had whilst studying, including the baptism of fire that was working with vets around the country during the foot and mouth crisis. She talks movingly about that difficult time, and how the farming community welcomed her, and increased her determination to become a part of that.

We talk about what being a successful vet means, and the importance of being able to work with farmers who can be under great stress. We also discuss Women vets, how sexism can still be present even now in 2018, and how they've proved themselves more than equal with their male counterparts. 

We go into her years spent as a dairy vet in Gloucestershire, one of the hardest hit areas of the Uk for bovine TB, and how difficult it is telling farmers they have a reactor in their herd, before going on to talk about her current role working as a sheep vet at Flock Health Ltd, and what that entails.

We also discuss both her and her husband's farming operation, the farm shop that they opened in 2015, and how they juggle it all with being the parents of two young children! 

I've wanted to talk to a farm vet since I started the podcast, and I've finally got around to it now! Phillipa's a fantastic example of just how integral they are to livestock farming, and it was a real pleasure to chat to her tonight. Check it out folks.. 

 

 

This episode is kindly sponsored by NFU Cymru. For more information please visit www.nfu-cymru.org.uk or www.rockandrollfarming.com