The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has published a list of members who will be competing for election into the 12 new regional representative roles on the organisation's council.

A total of 26 members have put their names forward for the positions, with Douglas Palmer, Stephen Barabas and Andy Hillan having been elected unopposed in the north-east, London and Northern Ireland regions respectively.

The remainder of the posts will be filled following a six-week voting period, which commences on January 10th 2011 and concludes on February 18th.

These new regional representative positions are being created to provide all BVA members with a direct local route to the council, making it easier for them to influence policy.

Harvey Locke, president of the BVA, said: "We are delighted with such a fantastic field of candidates for the regional representative roles. The regional representative job is vitally important to the successful future of the BVA."

Last month, the BVA appointed Fred Landeg as the new chairman of its veterinary policy group, while James Yeates became chairman of the ethics and welfare group.