John Kelland

Sir Percy John Luxton Kelland (1878–1958), known as Sir John Kelland, was the Chief Veterinary Officer in the Diseases of Animals Branch at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries between 1932 and 1938.

Kelland oversaw government responses to bovine tuberculosis (TB), sheep scab, rabies, and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). In 1937, King George VI made Kelland a Knight Bachelor.

Early life and education

Kelland was born in Devon and attended Heavitree Collegiate School in Exeter. he began his career as a civil veterinary surgeon in the Army Veterinary Corps and served in South Africa during the Second Boer War. He succeeded Sir Ralph Jackson.

Kelland oversaw changes such as the Provisions of Agriculture Act 1937 and the State Veterinary Service (SVS) on 1 April 1938. The former combined local authority veterinary services with the central authority.

Kelland brought poultry into the Diseases of Animals Acts and Orders. His first order made Newcastle disease a scheduled disease. His second imposed import controls, and his third order legislated the disinfection of markets and vehicles used to sell and transport poultry.

The ministry scheduled Kelland's retirement from public service for March 1938. However, the ministry delayed Kelland's retirement until June 1938.

Attested Herds Scheme Kelland based his Attested Herd scheme on the principle that one sick animal threatens the health of the other animals in its herd. He referred to this as his healthy herd principle.

He applied this principle to controlling bovine tuberculosis. Benefits to farmers with a clean (attested herd) included a bonus payment on their milk. Kelland viewed serum as a supplement, not a replacement for slaughter policies, as its use hindered early diagnosis and disease control.

1937 outbreak

Kelland oversaw the ministry's response to the FMD outbreak in the South of England, this time controlling from London HQ.

The standstill order was on cattle, sheep, and pigs over a large part of England, prohibiting movement from specified areas to outside.

Legacy

Transportation of Horses and other Livestock

Kelland led an inquiry into how exporters shipped horses from the United Kingdom to mainland Europe for slaughter. The inquiry came after reports about the conditions under which exporters transported horses agitated public opinion on the matter.

Kelland's proposed measures formed part of the 1914 Exportation of Horses Act. Upon his death, The Times claimed, “the high standard of horses now exported from this country is largely attributable to his work on this matter.”

Knighthood

King George VI made Kelland a Knight Bachelor in his 1937 Coronation Honours.