RICHMOND—The Virginia General Assembly recognized last year that solutions need to be developed regarding the statewide shortage of large animal veterinarians.

As a result, the legislature authorized a two-year work group organized by the Board of Veterinary Medicine that includes Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, along with other livestock and veterinary groups. Over the past year, the work group has been evaluating and providing recommendations on strategies, programs and financial incentives to help address the shortages of large animal veterinarians across the commonwealth.

Farmers can assist in this effort by submitting their input and sharing experiences through an anonymous survey.

A legislative recommendation from the work group to create a state grant program for large animal veterinarians successfully moved through the General Assembly this session. HB 2303 and SB 921 will create a grant program under the state veterinarian providing grants for up to four selected large animal veterinarians in Virginia to help incentivize them provided they commit to practicing large animal medicine in a rural part of the state. The incentives are designed to address various needs and may include funds for debt relief, but also could supplement starting salaries to make jobs more competitive.

“The work group felt it would be beneficial to further detail the perceived shortage of veterinary care by receiving feedback from livestock producers statewide on how their operations have been impacted by this,” said Jake Tabor, legislative specialist with VFBF governmental relations.

The questions were created through consensus from the work group, large animal veterinarians, the Virgina Cattlemen’s Association, Virginia Agribusiness Council and Farm Bureau. The survey is currently being circulated to livestock producers through various channels, in partnership with Virginia Cooperative Extension and various trade associations.

“Once we collect that data, we plan to present it at the next meeting of the work group this spring,” Tabor continued. “We hope these survey results will help influence the recommendations and policy ideas for the work group in its second year. The data will be a platform for the group to analyze solutions.”

Visit surveymonkey.com/r/3WBCJ8J to participate in the brief survey. Results will be collected through April 4.

Media: Contact Tabor at 804-205-8740.