EDUCATION – TAXATION – LEGISLATION

Shortage of Food Animal Veterinarian Graduates – 2003

WHEREAS: there is a significant shortfall in the number of food animal veterinarian graduates to service the livestock production areas of the United States, and

WHEREAS: livestock producers rely on their local veterinarians for guidance to insure food and product safety, herd management and disease control, and

WHEREAS: animal welfare issues and the increasing public scrutiny of humane care and management of livestock is often closely related to emergency veterinary attention, and

WHEREAS: the physical nature of the work as well as accrued indebtedness tends to divert many capable graduate veterinarians away from food animal practice, and

WHEREAS: the increased complexity of pharmaceutical and biological product use requires veterinarian supervision, and

WHEREAS: veterinarian practice can involve long travel distances and extended absence from their clinic in rural areas, a demand for multi-veterinarian staffed clinics is created.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: the Montana Cattlemen’s Association encourages colleges of Veterinary Medicine to vigorously pursue recruiting and training students with the aptitude and desire to fill the increasing void of food animal veterinarians.