Vetnuus | May 2025 47 Every day we awake to world changes; some more significant than others; some we individuals can do something about and lots that there is nothing that we can do. In the last 100 days since Trump’s reinstatement much has changed. You need to judge for yourself as to what is good and what is bad but surely we in South Africa won’t decide easily and I am certain some of our self-enriching politicians might be feeling a little uncomfortable right now. However as vets in SA we should all be feeling very uncomfortable after reading through the article attached: “Is South Africa’s veterinary workforce crisis threatening food security and animal health? South Africa is currently facing a critical shortage of qualified veterinarians, which is jeopardising animal health, food security, and public health. This veterinary crisis is particularly urgent in light of the ongoing foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. April 26th is World Veterinary Day, which emphasises the significance of teamwork in animal health. The Ministry of Agriculture revealed a staggering 45% vacancy rate, with 287 posts approved and 129 vacant. Ministry spokesperson Joylene van Wyk said there is a high number of vacant state veterinary posts at both the national and provincial levels. “Vacant state veterinary posts at national and provincial levels must be filled as a matter of urgency,” stated Van Wyk. Recent developments in FMD outbreaks The Department of Agriculture this week confirmed that the new positive cases of FMD among livestock in the Newcastle and Bergville areas of KwaZulu-Natal originated from a February auction in Utrecht. Van Wyk said effective disease control requires veterinarians to visit farms, do clinical inspections, collect samples, vaccinate animals, and discuss biosecurity with farmers. In addition, she said movement control requires veterinarians to do risk assessments, issue permits, and health attestations. “Some functions can be supported by veterinary para-professionals, such as animal identification, record keeping, sealing and unsealing of transport vehicles, collecting census from farms, etc. “In times of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks, all available personnel resources are usually challenged towards the control of the outbreak, which leads to neglect of other important diseases such as rabies, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), and African Swine Fever (ASF),” said Van Wyk. The KZN Department of Agriculture and Rural Development deployed a team of veterinary services practitioners following one of the recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in the province. Some functions that veterinarians perform for disease control purposes require someone with veterinary training specifically and can only be performed legally by a veterinarian or, in some cases, a veterinary para-professional, she added. “Where possible, the unskilled/semi-skilled sector is involved to facilitate community engagement and certain administrative functions,” said Van Wyk. The impact of the shortage According to the Ministry, many veterinarians leave the country to work in foreign countries, thereby leaving a smaller pool of veterinarians to fulfil the needs for both private veterinarians and government veterinarians. Dr Nandipha Ndudane, the president of the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC), highlighted the pressing need for more veterinary professionals to mitigate the risks associated with dangerous animal diseases, including foot-and-mouth disease. According to Ndudane, the alarming ratio of only 68 qualified veterinarians per million citizens starkly contrasts with the international standard of 200 to 400 per million. She said this shortage leaves rural livestock farmers particularly vulnerable. “Such outbreaks will affect food production and meat exports to neighbouring countries. We are concerned that the trickle-down impact on our agriculture sector could, ultimately, lead to a loss of jobs and a lowering of the GDP,” Ndudane warned. The current statistics reveal a total of 7 686 professionals registered with the SAVC, which includes 4 315 veterinarians and 2 013 animal health technicians, 23 laboratory animal technologists, 788 veterinary nurses, 113 veterinary physiotherapists, and 434 veterinary technologists. Despite these numbers, the demand continues to outpace supply. Ndudane noted that the responsibility of the veterinarians still available is increasing, further stretching already limited resources. Life plus 26 without parole Mike Lowry Mike Lowry has been in veterinary practice for "life plus 26" years. In this column, he shares his experiences and opinions. +26 Regulars I Life plus 26 >>>48
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