Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has committed to improving the working conditions of South African animal health practitioners.
This comes as the country grapples with a critical shortage of professionals in this essential field, which has far-reaching implications for animal health, biosecurity, and food security.
Steenhuisen said in a statement yesterday that the challenges vets face include insufficient resources and medicines, inadequate remuneration, and mounting mental health concerns.
He emphasised the gravity of these issues, acknowledging the indispensable role vets played in safeguarding the country's agricultural sector.
“Veterinarians are a cornerstone of South Africa's agricultural success, and without addressing the systemic issues they face, we risk jeopardising not only their well-being, but the nation’s food security,” he said.
Steenhuisen said South Africa must become a place where animal health practitioners could thrive and feel valued.
South Africa currently has only 4 000 registered vets, far below the international benchmark which is between 200 and 400 vets per million people. At least a hundred vets emigrated annually in search of better opportunities abroad.
Immigration specialists from Webber Wentzel recently said that this shortage has been exacerbated by the removal of vets from the Critical Skills List in 2022, leading to a potential crisis in the agricultural sector.
To address this, they said the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) had reinstated vets and veterinary nurses to South Africa’s Critical Skills List on October 3 last year.
Webber Wentzel said that without qualified vets and veterinary nurses, food safety may be threatened, and the South African population may face a higher risk of exposure to dangerous infectious diseases. The firm said the reinstatement of vets and veterinary nurses on the Critical Skills List would help employ qualified foreign national vets and veterinary nurses who wish to practise in South Africa and require the necessary work permits to do so.
Considering the current shortage of qualified vets and veterinary nurses in the agricultural sector, Webber Wentzel said employers operating in this sector should consider incentivising South African vets and veterinary nurses to work in the country so that they are dissuaded from emigrating.
“Furthermore, employers in the agriculture sector could capitalise on this gap in the market by hiring qualified foreign national veterinarians and veterinary nurses, as critical skills work visas are easier to obtain than general work visas,” they said.
“If foreign national veterinarians and veterinary nurses are employed under Critical Skills work visas, the public’s access to veterinary services may improve, ensuring that veterinary care for domestic animals is maintained, while also reducing exposure to dangerous infectious diseases.”
The South African Veterinary Council has been working closely with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) as well as with the DHA to address this pressing issue. According to recent DALRRD figures, about 100 vets emigrate from South Africa, while only 140 qualify on an annual basis.
In his efforts to ensure comprehensive input from all relevant parties, Steenhuisen said he would meet with the nine provincial agriculture MECs, senior officials from the department, the South African Veterinary Association, and key industry experts to address these concerns and avert a potential crisis in the profession and the agricultural sector.
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