Farm Animal Veterinary Services

The right team by your side.

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Talented. Compassionate. Focused. The farm team at The Vale believes in creating a better world for you and your herd. Now, meet the team at your back.

Farm Team

Duncan Finley

Practice Owner, BVetMed BSc, MRCVS

Originally from a farming family in Yorkshire, Duncan qualified from The Royal Veterinary College in 1995, followed by a short stint in Herefordshire before joining The Vale. Duncan has a dynamic interest in dairy and beef health, especially fertility. He now travels throughout the South West and beyond as team leader of The Vale Embryo Transfer and Advanced Sheep Breeding Services. He now speaks fluent Devonshire, to his French cows (having his own herd of Charolais cattle at home)!

Dan Leyman

Practice Owner, BVSc MSc, PG Cert VBM, MRCVS

Originally from Cullompton Dan studied at Liverpool University before joining The Vale in 2006. He enjoys all aspects of herd and flock management with particular interests in nutrition, lameness, and cow comfort as well as organising and running farmer training courses and discussion groups. Dan is a trained DairyCo Mobility Mentor and DairyCo Mastitis Plan deliverer. When not in work or walking his spaniel Dan’s interests include mountain biking, shooting, and surfing.

Fi Boothby

Practice Owner, BVSc DBR, PG Cert VBM, MRCVS

Fi qualified from Liverpool University in 2011, and then studied to gain her Diploma in Bovine Reproduction in 2018. Fi is passionate about all aspects of farm veterinary work, and is particularly interested in cattle fertility, youngstock and genetics. She also enjoys teaching on our AI and herdsperson courses, as well as running farmer discussion groups. Out of work Fi enjoys running with her Lenny (the dog), red wine, and some very small-scale farming!

Abi

Lab Manager

Abi joined The Vale in 2019 and many of you will know her as the voice behind the phone and Lab technician at Tiverton. Abi’s family are local dairy farmers, and so Abi often helps on the farm and in her spare time enjoys exploring the countryside with her 2 dogs and horse.

Andrew

Veterinary Surgeon

The son of a distinguished veterinary professor, Andrew is an internationally recognised academic despite being immersed in everyday general practice since joining as a new graduate in 1981. He now acts as an international consultant on mastitis, tuberculosis and cattle health in general. A past president of the British Cattle Veterinary Association, he was awarded the BVA Dalrymple-Champneys Cup and Medal in 2015 and has recently been awarded the title of Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for Meritorious Contribution to Clinical Practice. He has written and lectured extensively and produced his own textbook “Mastitis in Cattle” as well as setting up and running The Vale Veterinary Laboratory.

P.S. if you need a good game of squash, Andy is your man!

Anna-Mae Mortan

BVMS, MRCVS

Anna-Mae graduated from Glasgow University in 2015 and joined The Vale straight from college. Having grown up on a dairy farm in Northern Ireland she has particular interests in cattle lameness as well as youngstock rearing. Outside of work she is a keen hockey player, and is currently playing for Exe Hockey Club.

Maddi Schellenberg

BVSc, MRCVS

Maddi joined The Vale after graduating from Bristol University in 2017. Growing up in Somerset on a small holding she has developed an interest in all aspects of farming in particular small ruminant work and lameness in dairy herds. In her free time she enjoys climbing, walking and skiing.

Mireille Stride

BVSc, MRCVS

Mireille joined the Vale after graduating from Liverpool in 2017. Originally from Gloucestershire, she is interested in all aspects of herd health, fertility and youngstock. She is particularly keen on cost benefit and disease prevention- and enjoys working proactively with the more grass based clients in the practice including at home on her husbands spring calving dairy farm. Outside work she enjoys spending time with her family , heading to the local beach and baking.

Emily Hatch

BVMedSci, BVM BVS, MRCVS

Emily joined The Vale after graduating from Nottingham University in 2019. Originally from Essex, she developed a keen interest in becoming a farm vet whilst working as a relief milker at her local dairy. Emily is interested in all aspects of farm animal medicine, particularly preventative medicine and data analysis. In her free time she enjoys the gym, hiking, scuba diving and going to rugby

Lily Collier

BVSc, MRCVS

Lily graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2022. She has been exceptionally busy in her studies and also graduated from Swansea university in 2017 with a first class honors in Biochemistry!

Lily is from Axminster, so is delighted to be returning to Devon with the Vale. Whilst Lily grew up on a dairy farm, her family diversified 10 years ago and now run a zoo in Axminster. In Lily’s spare time, she enjoys caring for her small flock of swiss valais Blacknose Sheep.

Eliza Ridley-Johnson

BVSc, MRCVS

Eliza graduation from Bristol Vet School in 2022. Eliza is originally from Essex, but actually developed her interest in farm vetting while visiting family in North Yorkshire. In her spare time Eliza enjoys cold water swimming and is especially fond of sea swimming. She also plays the Viola and Piano.

Charlie Wooding

BVetMed BSc (Hons), MRCVS

Charlie joined our Large Animal Vet team in November 2024.

Charlie graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, but initially completed a Bioveterinary Science degree at the University of Surrey.

Charlie grew up in a small village just outside of Reading, but developed his love for farm animal medicine whilst working on a dairy and sheep farm near his family in County Armagh.

Outside of work Charlie is a keen runner, swimmer, skier and enjoys hiking.

Bridget Goscom

BVetMed, MRCVS

Our friendly farmer from Exmoor, with many years of experience in general practice and also for DEFRA, Bridget manages to combine TB testing duties at The Vale along with running her large mixed farm.

Michelle

TB Tester

Michelle joined the Vale in July 2021, as a Lay Tb tester. Deciding now was time for a career change.

Previously studying at Bicton College and then working for the IAH Compton, before moving back to Devon in 2009 to raise her family back in her home county of Devon. Michelle is married to Andy an agricultural engineer and has 2 children and outside of work enjoys spending time at Sandy Park watching Exeter Chiefs, live music concerts, shooting and working her 4 dogs.

Wendy

TB Tester

Wendy previously worked for Arla foods as an Agricultural Manager and after having her second son, took a break from full-time work and did some relief milking.

Wendy enjoys practical work, and getting out onto farms. She has always had a passion for cattle.

Outside of work, Wendy likes to keep fit by playing netball and going to the gym.

Zara

TB Tester & Office Administrator

Prior to coming to the Vale, Zara studied for her A levels and undertook a year at Hartpury University doing Bio-veterinary Science.

Zara particularly enjoys working within the farm team having grown up on a dairy farm.

Outside of work Zara is an active member of young farmers, and enjoys participating in tug of war for Honiton ladies and playing hockey and cricket.

Shelley

Farm Team Office Administrator

Shelley joined the farm team at the practice in October 2016 coming from 10 years experience in the AI industry and working on dairy farms. She has a big passion for farming, receiving a National Diploma in Agriculture at Bicton College. She is an avid Rugby fan and in her spare time you will find her down at the Exeter Chiefs cheering from the side line, spending time with her partner Mat and loveable labrador Yogi or at her family home helping on the farm.

Molly

Farm Animal Office Administrator

Molly has worked in the agricultural industry since leaving college, where she studied Level 3 extended Diploma in Agriculture.

Molly’s favourite livestock to work with is sheep and she enjoys breeding them. In her spare time, Molly helps on her boyfriend’s farm, as well as working her two lively spaniels.

Summer

Farm Animal Office Administrator

Summer has worked in the agricultural industry since leaving school, and particularly loves the diversity that each day brings. She enjoys working with the clients and has a keen interest in the animals and livestock.

Outside of work, Summer likes to spend her spare time trail-hunting, going on long walks and working her springer spaniel, Nala.