Quick Facts
Biography
Christine Helen Middlemiss CB is a Scottish veterinary surgeon and the Chief Veterinary Officer of the United Kingdom.
Early life
She was born in Montrose and attended primary school in Morayshire.
Career
She graduated from Glasgow Vet School in 1992, then began her veterinary career as a mixed practitioner in Biggar, Lanarkshire. This was followed by a spell at the Royal (Dick) Veterinary School, then a return to mixed practice for several years in Northern England She joined the Animal Health Agency in 2008.
She became Deputy Director for Animal Traceability and Public Health in 2016.
Chief Veterinary Officer
She became Chief Veterinary Officer on 1 March 2018.
Middlemiss was awarded a visiting professorship by Harper Adams University in 2019.
She was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to the veterinary and farming sectors.
Middlemiss is responsible for the UK badger cull, which has seen half of the badger population slaughtered as part of controversial bovine tuberculosis measures, and she is the leading defender of the policy. She also endorsed the contentious decision to seize and kill Geronimo the alpaca after he had tested positive for bovine tuberculosis, obstensibly to protect commercial cattle herds.
Personal life
She lives in Edinburgh and has a rescue cat.