The state’s peak farm body has welcomed a new government initiative to address acute shortages of vets across rural NSW.
Under the NSW Government’s Welcome Experience program, vets, vet nurses, vet technicians and their families are now eligible to receive assistance with sourcing housing, childcare and other services when moving to rural NSW.
NSW Farmers’ Member Dr Robyn Alders AO said news of the initiative had been warmly welcomed by farming communities across the state, as they continued to grapple with critical workforce shortages.
“Farmers know that healthy animals are productive animals and they need to have access to vets if they are to successfully protect animal health on-farm.”
“If we want to build a sustainable veterinary workforce here in rural NSW, then we need a range of solutions that address the complex challenges that have caused this shortage in the first place,” Dr Alders said.
“Globally, governments are supporting a range of initiatives to ensure the availability of appropriate, affordable veterinary services to livestock producers, and it’s critical our government does the same.”