Letter to Minister MacAulay on National Testing Centre for Internationally Trained Veterinarians
November 18, 2024 | Documents
NCFA with industry partners, submitted a letter to Minister MacAulay on the need for funding towards a National Testing Centre for internationally trained veterinarians.
Canada is experiencing a prolonged shortage of veterinarians affecting all areas of the profession, including food animal and regulatory practice. While expansion plans at three of the five Canadian veterinary schools will help, those efforts will fall far short of addressing the urgent need for veterinary professionals across a broad range of sectors.
As Canada ranks as the world’s fifth largest agricultural exporter, with annual red meat exports alone totalling $9.5 billion, the economic impact of food animal veterinarians cannot be overstated. Each food animal veterinarian contributes approximately $1.2 million in direct and indirect economic output to their community, enabling livestock and poultry producers to sustain and expand their operations. A shortage of veterinarians in both food animal and regulatory medicine threatens our ability to prevent major disease outbreaks, posing risks to public health and the economy.