Commissioner presents vision for rural areas
‘We must sing the praises of veterinarians for their hard work in this difficult time,’ stressed guest speaker Maciej Golubiewski, replacing European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski who had been due to address the assembly. ‘Thank you for the work you are doing, for African Swine Fever and Animal health in general.’ He also touched on the shortage of vets, in rural areas in particular and presented the Commissions long term vision for rural areas. More should be done to make these areas more attractive, he said, with a better access to services, better digital access, better housing and infrastructure. He urged delegates to interact with their respective ministers of agriculture and development, as the support of professions fell under the competence of Member States.
The shortage of vets, especially in rural areas, is clearly a challenge that is faced by most European countries. Several countries described how this problem was tackled in their country and possible solutions were discussed.

Read the full report HERE