Improved support for pig and poultry veterinarians
Published on 18 September 2024.
In recent months, the New Zealand Veterinary Association Te Pae Kīrehe has been looking at ways we can better support members of the Pig Veterinarians Branch of the NZVA.
We have had extensive discussions about the future of the special interest branch (SIB) with Bruce Welch, who has been branch President and the sole member of the Pig Committee for several years. This has placed a considerable burden on Bruce and meant the SIB has been unable to operate under the requirements of the NZVA Constitution.
Additionally, we've heard from a number of commercial poultry veterinarians who would like to work more closely with pig veterinarians on matters such as advocacy and animal welfare policy. It's important for veterinarians in both industries to have a continued voice on issues relating to their work and commercial clients.
With this in mind, and following consultation with members of the Pig Veterinarians Branch, the Board has agreed to dissolve the SIB and establish two new networks to better support members who work in the pig and poultry industry.
Lifestyle Block Network
Our Lifestyle Block Network will suit general practitioner (GP) veterinarians with an interest in pigs, poultry and other lifestyle block animals. This network aims to address the challenges of providing veterinary services to lifestyle properties, and improve animal welfare and biosecurity by providing up-to-date guidelines, sharing practical advice, and collaborating with experts in lifestyle block veterinary care.
If you are interested in joining the Lifestyle Block Network, please visit our website.
Pig and Poultry Network
We are also in the process of establishing a Pig and Poultry Network, which will focus on the commercial side of the industry. Through this network, veterinarians working in the pig and poultry industries will be consulted on matters such as policy, welfare codes and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The Pig and Poultry Network will also be available to provide technical support to GP veterinarians dealing with pig and poultry issues on farms and lifestyle blocks.
We are seeking expressions of interest from veterinarians who would like to join the Pig and Poultry Network Committee. If you'd like to get involved, please email us at nzva@vets.org.nz.
These networks will be modelled on the Large Animal Veterinary Technicians (LAVT) Group structure, which will hopefully minimise the administrative burden on the committee. Under this structure, a committee of members will drive the agenda with support from NZVA staff.
We believe this approach will allow us to better support the needs of pig veterinarians, while also engaging more with our poultry veterinarian members.
We would like to thank Bruce for his dedication to the Pig Veterinarians Branch over the years, and for helping us come up with a plan to better support pig and poultry veterinarians moving forward.
