RUMA Structure
Gwyn Jones
Chair of RUMA CA&E
Gwyn is a farmer and the former chair of The Responsible use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) which he led from 2013-2020 He has also chaired EPRUMA in Brussels and has served on a number of sector groups and organisations. Gwyn also manages special projects with RUMA Agriculture, which has included the development of the latest set of responsible antibiotic use targets by the Targets Task Force. He was born into a hill farming family in Snowdonia, North Wales and trained as an engineer before returning to agriculture, running the beef and sheep units at Moulton College before moving to West Sussex where he operated a 350-cow dairy herd for over 30 years. Gwyn has served as vice president of the NFU, chair of the COPA-Cogeca Animal Health and Welfare Working Group, chair of AHDB Dairy and is a member of the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC). He sits on Defra’s Animal Health and Welfare Board for England and is vice chair of the UK’s new Ruminant Health & Welfare organisation. Gwyn is also a member of The University of Surrey School of Veterinary Medicine External Liaison and Advisory Committee.
Steve Howard
Secretary General RUMA CA&E
As well as working with RUMA CA&E, Steve is also the Head of Clinical Services at PDSA, one of the UK’s biggest animal charities, where he has worked for over 20 years. He is an experienced Head with a demonstrated history of working strategically in the veterinary industry. Steve graduated from Glasgow Veterinary School in 1994 and has been in his current role at PDSA for over 10 years. As Head of Clinical Services he has particular responsibilities for clinical governance and clinical quality at the charity, which includes a keen interest in the responsible use of antibiotics across the charity’s UK-wide veterinary network. Steve is highly-skilled in veterinary medicine, veterinary business development, clinical governance, client education and customer services. He has a Diploma in Management Studies focused on Business Administration, Management and Operations from The University of Wolverhampton.
Dawn Howard
RUMA CA&E Treasurer
As well as playing a key role in RUMA CA&E, Dawn is also Deputy Chair of RUMA Agriculture and is the Chief Executive of NOAH. Dawn qualified as a botanist at the University of Nottingham, and went on to work in UK Government in animal health and welfare policy, pesticides policy and enforcement, having originally joined as a field-based plant health inspector. Dawn moved to Brussels in 2009, where she represented UK agriculture in the British Agriculture Bureau office of the National Farmers Union. There her responsibilities included animal health, animal welfare and trade. She later headed up the European body for farm animal breeders, EFFAB. Dawn joined NOAH in 2014 and has successfully steered the organisation through EU Exit uncertainty and challenges, providing a robust defence for the animal health sector which has helped to increase both the profile and membership of the Association. She is a passionate advocate for high standards of both animal health and welfare and the benefits trade associations bring to represent industry and influence policy. Dawn also strongly supports evidence based proportionate regulation and the advantages new scientific developments can deliver for society. This will continue to be an important theme as the UK transitions to become a bigger player on the global stage.
Ian Ramsey, BSAVA
Companion Animal representative
Ian Ramsey is the Professor of Small Animal Medicine at Glasgow University Veterinary School. He graduated from Liverpool in 1990, completed his PhD at Glasgow on feline leukaemia virus in 1993 and his residency at Cambridge in 1997. He is a British (RCVS) and European diplomate in small animal medicine. He has written and co-authored nearly 100 scientific papers, review articles and book chapters in various aspects of small animal medicine. He was awarded the BSAVA Woodrow Award for contributions to small animal medicine in 2015 and also became a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. He has served on numerous professional bodies, most recently on the Board of BSAVA Trustees since 2016 (being President 2020-21).
