A veterinary crisis is looming in Wallonia, the French-speaking southern part of Belgium. If nothing changes, the region could lose half of its farm animal veterinary workforce by 2035, warns the Union professionnelle vétérinaire (UPV), representative body of francophone veterinarians in Belgium, citing data from its veterinary observatory. The profession is calling for urgent measures to halt this crisis which is threatening animal health, especially in the Luxembourg province.
Young vets leaving the profession
Launched in 2024, the observatory shows a slight increase in newly registered vets (2950, up from 2904 in 2023), but does not take into account the number of young vets leaving the profession within the first years. Also, the large majority of vets now work with companion animals (>69%). Currently there is one large animal vet per 2000 heads of cattle, and one per 2800 in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. ‘This area is rapidly becoming a veterinary medical desert,’ the UPV observes. In Belgium, an area is considered a ‘veterinary desert’ if there’s only one vet or less per 3000 cattle.
Paid internships for farm animal practice
To help limit the dearth of rural vets, the UPV has suggested to set up early and paid internships for vet students in farm animal practices, a measure which has ‘shown its efficacy in France and Quebec’, and which would only represent a moderate investment from the public authorities, according to spokesperson and UPV vice president Leo Théron. The Province of Luxemburg has also made available 1000€-student grants for work experience in farm animal practice.
Incentives to work in large animal practice
Furthermore, the UPV calls for practice installation grants, the (partial) waiving of student loan reimbursements, fiscal incentives, mentoring paths, post-graduate training and help with computerisation and IT-practice management systems, as the administrative burden is particularly heavy for food-animal practitioners. ‘Farm veterinarians are crucial for the food chain but also for the surveillance of emerging animal diseases,’ stresses Dr Théron. 'It is key that EU decision makers understand that the veterinary profession is overwhelmed by legislative changes and increasing regulatory requirements.'
A European problem
Sadly, Belgium is not alone. Many parts of Europe are suffering from veterinary manpower issues, according to the FVE Workforce shortage of veterinarians. Together with its member associations and the VetJoy programmes, the FVE is also undertaking a number of initiatives, including in the fields of recruitment (raising awareness about career options; diversity, equity & inclusiveness) retention (mentoring programmes, great workplace awards, providing resources on mental health and DEI) and return.
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