Memorandum submitted by Mr John Watkinson
(W5)
PERSONAL BACKGROUND
I am male 42 years old mixed/ livestock practitioner
based in Leyburn, North Yorkshire on the edge of the Dales in
a densely populated livestock area. I am 19 years qualified and
am the son of a rural practitioner Veterinary Surgeon.
I am born bred and educated in the Dales but
have worked elsewhere in the UK (for four years post qualification.)
I hold the RCVS Certificate in Cattle Health and Production. My
special interest is Bovine embryo transfer.
Due to unusual circumstances I have been running
a livestock practice since aged 27 years.
I believe I am well suited to comment on your
terms of reference.
— Demand for Veterinary Services always
has and will be proportionate to farm income. However the best
farms employ the Vet a lot more—not a coincidence. The reduction
in number of Vet practices serving Farms is NOT solely attributable
to the reduction in farm incomes.* see below
— The reduction in Veterinary Services
impact on Health, Welfare and Surveillance of Disease will be
marked in some geographical areas. Geography and topography of
the UK plays a big part. Areas of high livestock density have
more farm Vets, and within such areas a certain element of peer
pressure exists between farming neighbours to maintain standards
etc.
Some exceptions exist of course
The distribution of dairy herds is also a major
factor as the dairy cow is the bread and butter of all profitable
farm practice. I service dairy/beef/sheep/fattening cattle and
am probably unusual—again due to geographical factors:
— The Governments' Animal Health and
Welfare Strategy (which I have read) has fine words and aims but
has no chance whatsoever of being implemented without subcontracting
the work which it would entail to the private sector livestock
practices. I am told there is no funding for it so the well meaning
document is dead in the water.
— I don't understand what the impact
on the State Veterinary Service will be. Presumably their Pension
values will remain intact, their holidays, weekends and social
lives will remain as previously. Their complete lack of understanding
of the way the livestock industry and private sector Veterinary
practices operate will continue. I dare say any recruitment difficulties
will be solved by employing unsuitable Spanish/EU vets—no
market force will be applied to sack them if incompetent.
Incidentally we were treated with contempt by
the State Veterinary Service during the FMD debacle and our type
of Veterinary Surgeon would have been their greatest help and
asset. This attitude has continued since.
Why have we reached such a state?
Many reasons, but I will try to be brief.
1. Female intake. 80% and rising into Vet
Schools. Sheer Madness. The medics are in a similar predicament
re GPs. I have lobbied the RCVS in the last 10 years for an exemption
to the Sex Equality Act to allow 50:50 intake, which would help.
Veterinary Surgeons are the only private sector service to provide
24/7/365 cover. This will not continue with the present female
percentage in the profession. Since New Labour had an exemption
to the Act with `Women only' shortlists for MP selection, the
precedent is already set. It should easily be applied to Vets
and Medics.
(My severe manpower/recruitment problems have
been solved via Kiwis and South African Vets—I gave up on
UK Vets long ago.)
2. Vet Schools now have few good teachers
of Farm Animal Medicine/Surgery. The circle becomes ever more
vicious.
3. It is unfashionable for young Vets to
become all species Veterinary Surgeons. Unfortunately most rural
practices demand a certain degree of all species competence. It
takes longer to train and become adept at all-rounder type work.
Individual species preference is fine but it usually has to be
within the structure of rural practices.
4. State of Farming in general. Lower profitability
due to factors such as importation of lower specification produce,
supermarket power, double standards with all our competitor countries,
larger overhead costs in the UK (eg petrol is 30p/litre in New
Zealand) and no political will whatsoever to protect our own interests
leads to knock on effects within farm Veterinary practice.
How is this?
(a) Lower profitably means fewer staff on
farms, which leads to poor and often non existent handling facilities
with increasingly difficult conditions for a Vet to perform well.
This soon begins to "sicken off" a young Vet. "Pet"
practice begins to look a more attractive proposition.
(b) Lower profitability means that a young
Vet interested in farm work gets the message from an early point
in his/her career that there is no future in farm work and that
he/she would be unwise to invest the large sums required in it.
Furthermore the work is not suitable for pregnant women and does
not fit at all well with child rearing. Why would it be attractive
to such ladies?
(c) Young Vets want to work in a less depressed
Industry. So do I! The lack of optimism rubs off on the young
Vet who has yet to make a commitment to a particular type of practice.
(d) The massive commitment of the "out
of hours" Service is not something young Vets want to face
up to. They are idle or sensible depending on your standpoint.
In rural practice this is harder than can ever be described to
someone, unless you have done it. This "out of hours"
Service is also totally non profitable. What price is such dedication
worth.? Just wait to hear the noise when it stops! I wonder whether
the Competition Commission would like to investigate this aspect
of Veterinary life?
The conclusion is that these high levels of
dedication are rewarded by the Government aiding and abetting
the importation of cheap unregulated animal medicines (not sweets)
to undercut the private sector rural Veterinary Surgeon In the
next breath it wonders why we are dying species! The Competition
Commission investigation must surely rank as the most lunatic
waste of taxpayers money ever—it even begins to make the
pantomime in Brussels look sane! Mrs Kingsmill and her mates would
have been sacked in most of the private sector long ago. (However
her degree of incompetence would probably merit a job in the financial
services industry!)
Therefore, the above factors are just a few
of those that have the net result of a declining number of able
and high-class farm Veterinary Surgeons. I could explain more
but my 3,000 words are up!
22 April 2003
| 
