Rural veterinary districts are getting a financial boost.
In a joint release June 22, the federal and provincial governments announced $2 million for “the capacity of rural veterinary services districts throughout Manitoba.”
The funding is earmarked for new large-animal equipment. Districts can apply for up to $75,000 for purchases.
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The districts “provide essential veterinary services in 26 rural locations and account for over 80 per cent of the Manitoba clinics providing large-animal hospital services. Investing in large-animal veterinary services is vital to the continued resiliency and sustainability of Manitoba’s livestock sector,” provincial Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson said in the release.
Earlier this year, the Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) singled out veterinary district funding as an area needing improvement.
A resolution passed at the annual meeting asked MBP to lobby to ensure funding “is more reflective of the actual cost of delivering the needed rural veterinary services that are so important to the livestock sector and others.”
President Matthew Atkinson called the announcement “an important initiative.”
“Manitoba’s beef producers certainly value the essential services provided at the veterinary services district sites throughout the province. Government investments in large-animal veterinary equipment are key components in supporting veterinary staff as they provide quality care for beef cattle,” he said in the June 22 release.
The provincial and federal ag ministers said funds will help clinics modernize equipment, attract and retain veterinarians and offer more services to surrounding areas.
The ministers also linked the funds to animal welfare, food chain resiliency and the ability to respond to animal disease.
Shortage of rural and large-animal veterinarians, as well as veterinarians in general, has been flagged as a serious gap across Western Canada.
According to a letter from the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine, sent to the province in May 2022, at least 68 full-time veterinarian jobs at the time were sitting vacant. The letter urged the province to increase its funded spaces at the college from 15 to 25.
Last fall, the province did increase seats halfway to that requested level. Reserved Manitoba seats will go up to 20 a year, starting in 2023-24, Johnson announced in October 2022.
“Our government is committed to increasing the availability of quality veterinary care to all Manitobans, especially for the agricultural sector that is so vital to our provincial economy,” he said then.
A fall 2022 release noted those seats would be for students with “practical knowledge and experience in the livestock or poultry industries, gained through significant experience prior to enrolment.”
“We know from many studies that students who come from a rural background or live in small towns are more likely to go back and to work in small towns or in rural areas,” said Western College of Veterinary Medicine dean Dr. Gillian Muir at the time.
