The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the period ended 31 December 2024.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019).
The charity's objects are specifically restricted to the promotion of the following purposes for the benefit of the public:
The advancement of education by promoting, managing, co-ordinating, and developing a programme for education of Veterinary Surgeons who are in practice in Northern Ireland or elsewhere:
The advancement of animal welfare by representing and advocating for Veterinary Surgeons and animals in need of care and protection; and
The advancement of health or the saving of lives of veterinary practitioners in Northern Ireland who are suffering from, have suffered from or are at risk of mental or physical health problems for the benefit of the public particularly by the dissemination of information and assistance within the veterinary profession.
There has been no change in the policies adopted in furtherance of these objects during the period.
The charity aims to fulfill it's objectives through the following:
the provision of training courses and advice and to publish or distribute in a suitable format;
to be a member of and co-operate with all such bodies, organisations and associations, whether within Northern Ireland and United Kingdom or not, as may be thought fit by the directors;
to raise funds by subscription, donations, grants, loans or otherwise for the purposes of the charity.
The directors have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
In this financial period AVSPNI has delivered two multi-day conferences – one for Small Animal vets and vet nurses and one for Small Animal and Large Animal vets, plus 7 evening meetings, 1 social and networking event and 3 full/half days of education - one of which was a practical hands-on course for vet nurses.
AVSPNI has engaged with organisations and working groups including, but not limited to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA); the Agri-Food and Bio-sciences Institute (AFBI); Animal Health and Welfare Northern Ireland (AHWNI); British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA); The Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS); The North of Ireland Veterinary Association (NIVA); Rural Support; Ulster Farmers Union (UFU); Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS); RCVS Knowledge - Farm Vet Champions; Young Vet Network (YVN-NI); Veterinary Ireland; LANTRA Council; VetNI Board: Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Implementation Group (BVDIG); TB Stakeholder Working Group (TBSWG); Animal Health and Welfare Stakeholders Forum (AHWSF); the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC); Vet Support Northern Ireland; British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA); Veterinary Practice Managers Association (VPMA); Northern Ireland Sheep Scab Group; The Links Group; the British Veterinary Association (BVA); The College of Agriculture, Foord and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) - Dairy Advisory Group and VN training; RUAS; HSE; VSSCo (Educational Bursary Adjudication).
AVSPNI remains flexible and able to respond quickly to amend its programme of education to meet changing needs, e.g. novel disease challenges. Issues of concern to the members on which officers have actively engaged include, but are not limited to: production and endemic diseases such as BVD, Johnes and TB, welfare; APHIS/NIFAIS (DAERAs animal traceability platforms; EU Animal Health Law implementation; Equine Welfare and Farrier Regulation; proposed changes to Cross-Compliance Legislation; TB Compensation Consultation; vet nurse training; farm QA standards; Trade Export Certification; Antibiotics Amnesty; STAMP; Bluetongue; medicines use and threats to supply to NI; Sustainable Ruminant Genetics; wildlife and TB; UK/XI ear tag changes; Avian Influenza.
The results are set out in detail on pages 6 to 13. The company returned net outgoing resources for the year of £18,747 (2023 - net incoming resources of £6,249) leaving unrestricted funds of £417,655 (2023 - £436,402).
The unrestricted funds are considered to be essential to provide sufficient funds to cover any unforeseen costs which may arise and fulfil legal obligations of the charity in the event that current levels of income are not maintained.
It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month’s expenditure. The directors consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the period.
The charitable company is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. The company is not for profit and limited by guarantee.
The directors who served during the period and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
The charity is governed by its Board of Directors who meet regularly.
None of the directors has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the directors are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the small companies’ exemption.
The directors' report was approved by the Board of Directors.
We report to the directors on our examination of the financial statements of AVSPNI (the charity) for the period ended 31 December 2024.
Having satisfied ourselves that the charity is not subject to audit under company law, and is eligible for independent examination, it is our responsibility to:
• examine the accounts under section 65 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008;
• follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland under section 65(9)(b) of the Charities Act; and
• state whether particular matters have come to our attention.
We have examined your charity accounts as required under section 65 of the Charities Act and our examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland under section 65(9)(b) of the Charities Act. The examination included a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as charity trustees concerning any such matters.
Our role is to state whether any material matters have come to our attention giving us cause to believe:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the Companies Act 2006.
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act and with the methods and principles of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland
that there is further information needed for a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. We confirm that we are qualified to undertake the examination because we are a member of Chartered Accountants Ireland, which is one of the listed bodies.
We have completed our examination and have no concerns in respect of the matters (1) to (4) listed above and, in connection with following the Directions of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, we have found no matters that require drawing to your attention.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the period. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
AVSPNI is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Northern Ireland. The registered office is 6 Ross Green Lane, Kilgad Road, Kells, Ballymena, Co Antrim, BT42 3JA.
The financial statements presented are for a period longer than one year due to the charity's year end being extended for commercial reasons. The comparative amounts presented in the financial statements (including the related notes) are not entirely comparable.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the directors continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the directors in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
Donations and membership fees
Raffle income of £5,214 (2023 - £3,380) was gathered during the year and paid out to various charities, £3,500 was not paid out until post year end.
Income from conferences and webinars
Speakers fees
Other conference and webinar expenses
The average monthly number of employees during the period was:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.