The ‘Introduction To Sustainability in Farm Vet Practice’ document is the first piece produced by Vet Sustain’s Food & Farming Working Group. The article comprises a series of case studies discussing work already being done by practicing vets, which improve on farm efficiency and sustainability, both directly and indirectly.
In order to achieve more sustainable and ultimately regenerative farming practices we must first embark on the journey. An important place to start is understanding what we, as members of the vet-led team on farm, are already achieving and that perhaps some of these steps are aligned to our key goals when working alongside farmers: responsible medicine use, improved health and welfare and taking a One Health approach, are areas that veterinary professionals frequently discuss with our clients.
Having been designed to include something for all farm practitioners, the document provides a brief snapshot of conversations we can, and should all be having with our farm clients. We hope this will lead to an increased awareness of sustainable practices, which will ultimately improve animal welfare and reduce environmental impact, while enhancing productivity and profitability.The positive impact we can have on climate change and sustainability as individuals can be significant, and as veterinary businesses even more so; but as experts and advocates, working proactively with our clients, it is immense.
Lewis Griffiths, chair of VetSalus says:
Veterinarians have been working to improve farm efficiency and productivity for many years but perhaps have been slow to realise that this everyday on farm presence, is also critical to reducing farm carbon footprints.
Ruth Clements, chair of the Vet Sustain Food and Farming working group says:
With over 70 billion production animals globally and rising, vets can play an important role in feeding the human population but critically to do so in a way which promotes good animal welfare and protects and invigorates the environment. The development of increasingly sustainable farming practices and systems will play an essential role in tackling the climate and ecological crisis, and this introductory document contributes to this essential and urgent discussion.
This first piece of work produced by Vet Sustain’s Food & Farming Working Group, in partnership with VetSalus, has now been completed,and we look forward to our future projects. Work continues on our sustainable agriculture training course, with key elements focusing on agroecological principles of food production for veterinary professionals. Currently in its early stages, the course will be delivered by a series of webinars, podcasts, online tutorials and farm visits.