Beyond Brexit
All the challenges the industry faces require a viable workforce, says leading vet
BREXIT was high on the agenda at the annual Fish Veterinary Society (FVS) conference in Edinburgh earlier this month. In his opening address, Simon Doherty, vice president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), outlined measures to safeguard the future veterinary workforce after the transition period ends on December 31.
All the challenges the industry faces require a viable workforce, with or without Brexit, he pointed out.
The RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) and BVA have put a huge amount of effort into the shortage occupation list – part of the government’s new, points based immigration proposals.
They have worked around mutual recognition for professional qualifications with Ireland, for example, to maintain as far as possible a supply of vets in the UK.
Doherty highlighted the announcement in March of the new vet school opening in Aberystwyth, on top of increased student numbers in Nottingham and a new vet school opening as a joint venture between Harper Adams and Keele universities.
‘Veterinary capacity is something we’re continuing to work on,’ said Doherty.
But he added: ‘The government want us to maintain the highest standards of animal welfare in our food producing systems, but that’s against the backdrop of a lot of work that suggests government don’t really see a place for farmers in the UK.’
He encouraged conference delegates to contribute to the BVA’s online careers advice database, My Vet Future, to try to attract more vets into aquaculture.
Doherty also talked about the concept of ‘One Health’, in which the wellbeing of people, animals and the environment are ‘inextricably linked’.
The One Health Commission, a collaboration of health science professions, defines the concept as ‘working locally, nationally and globally towards optimal health and wellbeing for people, domestic animals, wildlife, plants and our environment’.
The One Health approach can be adopted to tackle challenges faced by the aquaculture sector, he said.
‘If you think about it in terms of what we do on a daily basis with the companies we’re working with, with the communities we’re working with in rural areas, the food product that we’re ultimately producing, and the links to some of the challenges that are around the aquaculture industry, you can see how that definition works,’ said Doherty.
On issues such as antimicrobial resistance, getting doctors and vets in the room to discuss the common problem ‘helps to find mutual solutions’.
He said aquaculture can promote wellbeing in remote parts of Scotland, Ireland and Norway, with new jobs and investment, but it must not be at the expense of environmental sustainability and the health of the animals. Adopting a One Health approach will help sustainable aquaculture, which includes improving the carbon footprint of aquaculture; to do that, we need to reduce waste, said Doherty.
‘We reduce waste by improving animal health and we improve productivity through improved animal health.’
Veterinary capacity is something we’re continuing to work on”
The 2020 FVS conference was held from March 3-4 at Norton House Hotel in Edinburgh.