A new chief veterinary officer (CVO) for the UK has been announced.

Christine Middlemiss is to take over from Nigel Gibbens who is stepping down at the end of February 2018 following ten years in the post.

Christine will join Defra from her current position in Australia, where she has been working as the CVO in New South Wales since August 2016. During her time there she led major improvements to biosecurity across many farming sectors. She comes from a farming family in the south of Scotland, with a background in beef cattle and sheep.

Christine will be returning to Defra where she was deputy director for animal traceability and public health in 2016. She is an experienced veterinarian and worked for a number of years in private practice in Scotland and the north of England, prior to joining the Animal Health agency (now part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency) in 2008 as a divisional veterinary manager in Scotland.

During a decade as chief vet Nigel Gibbens has been instrumental in driving animal welfare improvements both at a national and international level and Christine will now build on that work.

Ms Middlemiss said: "The UK government has made no secret it wants to cement its place as a world-leader on animal welfare as they leave the European Union, and I’m delighted to have an opportunity to play a part in that."

Welcoming the appointment, the government’s chief veterinary officer, Nigel Gibbens, said: "I would like to congratulate Christine on her success against a strong field of candidates and I am certain she will be a great addition to the department.

Her breadth of experience from work within government and in the private sector will enable her to provide excellent veterinary leadership to the Defra group to deliver government’s ongoing commitment to maintaining our high animal health and welfare standards and to represent the interests of the whole of the UK internationally."

Animal welfare minister Lord Gardiner added: "I thank Nigel Gibbens for his outstanding contribution as CVO over the past ten years. Leaving the department at the end of February, he is hugely respected across the veterinary community and beyond – leading on responses to disease outbreaks including avian influenza and advising government on issues from antimicrobial resistance to animal welfare."

Ms Middlemiss will take up her new role as CVO for the UK on March 1 2018.