Meet Marta Aznar Martinez -  FSS Official Veterinarian

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is encouraging more qualified veterinarians to consider a career in public health. The following blog from FSS Official Veterinarian (OV) Marta Aznar Martinez details what she enjoys about working in the public sector.

During my last year of University in Spain, public health really appealed to me.

In March 2019, I arrived in Scotland to work for FSS and currently work as the lead OV in a small abattoir, a position I find very interesting.

The OV role is one of the key front-line roles to ensure that meat produced is safe for human consumption. We are responsible for safeguarding the welfare of the animals and ensuring they are treated in a humane way at all times whilst under our oversight.

I am involved in the daily activities of the abattoir and I oversee and advise on the different aspects of animal health, animal welfare and public health, taking the necessary enforcement action if and when needed.

One aspect of the job I enjoy the most is the diverse workload. The duties range from certifying exports of meat to different countries (and issue required Export Health Certificates), delivering Official Controls in wild game establishments where we perform the post mortem inspection of large and small game, to assessing the abattoir staff who require a specific licence to slaughter or handle animals

Throughout my time in the organisation, I have always had the help of my Veterinary Advisor (VA). They provide advice whenever needed, keep us updated of any change in the legislation, and support us in the technical delivery of our role.

FSS has truly helped me grow, not only professionally, but also at a personal level. We have a multicultural environment which enabled me to learn about different cultures and it made me realise how important team work is and how easy the role can be when you are surrounded by a good bunch to support you.

I would encourage any vet interested in animal welfare, animal health and public health to consider a career as an OV as you can learn about all these different areas during the training and time in this role.