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According to the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC), the situation has been exacerbated by the removal of vets from South Africa’s critical skills list in 2022.
Dr Nandipha Ndudane, SAVC president, said in a statement that reinstating vets on this list would help the country retain qualified vets and aid foreign vets who wanted to practise in South Africa.
According to her, the SAVC had been liaising with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), and both the SAVC and DALRRD were engaging with the Department of Home Affairs on the matter.
“Our records show that we’re losing up to 150 vets a year to emigration, as there are between 10 and 15 vets a month requesting letters of good standing from the SAVC to enable them to practise abroad,” she added.
According to James Faber, chairperson of the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation, the shortage of vets attending to livestock in rural areas was a particular challenge and had a negative impact on livestock production.
“The shortage could in the long term become a serious hurdle as far as the local red meat industry’s global competitiveness is concerned.”
He said the deployment of more para-veterinary professionals could mitigate the effects of the lack of vets in rural areas in particular.
