Aerial view of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Utrecht

The role of a veterinarian in

the next 30 years

Anton Pijpers

Utrecht University

Content

• What’s happening around us – In general

– Societal demands

– Food producing animals

– Companion animals

– Other

• Role of veterinarians

• Consequences for veterinary education

General trends

Drivers of change affecting the food system (FAO, 2011) • Global population increases

• Changes in the size and nature of per capita demand: meat, fish, regions

• Future governance of the food system at both national and international levels

• Climate change

• Competition for key resources:

– Land for food production

– Global energy demand

– Global water demand

• Changes in values and ethical stances of consumers: acceptance of modern technology, production methods, animal welfare, biodiversity protection, fair trade

General trends

• Need for animal proteins worldwide

– 9 billion people in 2040

– Consumer spending power, BRIC-countries

– Growth in meat production and consumption,

especially poultry

– Sustainable production systems

• Farm(er) specialisation

• Differences within Europe

General trends

• Information technology, open knowledge world

• Global world, all travelling around

• Global world market and trade

• (re)Emerging diseases

• Value of animals is increasing

• Importance of biomedical research is increasing

• Quality systems are integrated and accepted in

every part of the food chain or transparant for

clients.

Societal demands

• Differences within Europe

• Healthy animals

• EU-notifiable diseases, vaccination policy

• Animal welfare

• Public health, One Health, food safety, sustainable production

• Emotions vs ratio

• Checks and balances, need for quality systems

Food producing animals

• Consolidation of animal agriculture, shift to eastern-Europe

• Larger livestock enterprises – Fewer farms

– Great economic importance

– “Non-acceptance” in western society, in crowded regions

– Sustainability of the sector in discussion

– Dedicated care-givers, technicians to be trained

– Welfare issues and discussions

• Underserved rural areas for economic and social reasons

• Cost-driven vs added value: desire for locally grown food or biological products

• License to produce: suboptimal production due to differences in health status, housing conditions, management, well-being

Companion animals/ equine

• Increased importance of individual animals

• High expectations for services like in human health care

• 1e, 2e, 3e-line services

• Differentiation and specialisation continues

• Number of visits/yr/animal decreases

• Increasing costs, assurances??

• More preventive healthcare – DNA technology: genetic profile, personalised care

– Food technology: disease prevention, nutritional guidelines

Other

• Wildlife services and monitoring

• Biomedical research

– comparative medicine of multiple species

• Industry

– Pharmaceutical

– Food producing

• Human health, One health

• New diagnostic techniques

Animal Welfare – animal centered?

The five freedoms (Brambell, 1967) Freedom from thirst and hunger Freedom from discomfort Freedom from pain, injury, and disease Freedom to express normal behavior Freedom from fear and distress

‘Negative’ emotions compromise welfare? Free from ‘negative’ isn’t ‘positive’ still? What is biological functioning?

the freedom adequately to react to

hunger, thirst or incorrect food,

thermal and physical discomfort,

injuries or diseases,

fear and chronic stress,

and thus, the freedom to

display normal, species-specific behavioural patterns,

which allow the animal to ADAPT to the demands of the

prevailing environmental circumstances to enable it to reach a

state which it perceives as positive.

Animal Welfare – animal centered:

(Ohl & van der Staay, TVJ, 2012, 192:13-19)

positive emotion

perception of

inner state

cognition

negative emotion

environment

adaptive/non-adaptive

Animal Welfare – animal centered?

Public Health – One Health

– (emerging) Zoönoses

– Antimicrobial resistance

– Food safety

– Environmental security

– Basic principles in biomedical research • Vaccine-technology

• Cell-biology

• Regenerative medicine

• Cancer research

• etc

Content

• What’s happening around us – In general

– Societal demands

– Food producing animals

– Companion animals

– Other

• Role of veterinarians

• Consequences for veterinary education

Vet – “Public health servant”

Primary role in serving society!!

Role at the interface of animals, humans and

environment:

- (emerging) Zoönoses

- Antimicrobial resistance, what are the facts?

- Food safety

- Environmental health, sustainable food production

- Not only in food producing animals but also in

companion animals!!

Vet –“Animal health specialist”

• Traditional role as a clinician

– knowledge of healthy and diseased animals

• Focus on prevention

• Monitoring and surveillance of diseases

• Population medicine, data-analist: epidemiology

• Supervising technical services

• Diagnostic innovations

• Risk analysis – disease, public health

• Integrated problem-solving

• Academic approach

Vet – “Animal welfare protection”

• Advocating the well-being of animals

• Scientifically founded position

• Knowing various animal welfare concepts

• Knowledge regarding the legal and social context of animal welfare

• Evaluating the welfare of the animal and recognises possible abuses (housing, stewardship)

• Advice how to improve welfare conditions

Others

• Basic: Comparative medicine in multi-species

• Wildlife

• Industry: Food, feed, pharma

• Biomedical Research: • Vaccine-technology

• Cell-biology

• Regenerative medicine

• Cancer research

• Pharmacist? Distributor of vet.medicines?

The future veterinarian

• Is not anymore a single hard-working practitioner mainly busy with animal health in all species;

• A health care professional with self-confidence on serving society, problem-solving and integrating disciplines with other professionals

• Critical thinker with self-reflection

• Advisor in food production chains, plays a role to make food production systems sustainable

• Animal health and welfare ‘specialist’

• Focus on the concepts of One Health

The future veterinarian

Based on knowledge and primary skills of public health and animal health and animal welfare for different species:

• is serving society

• as an advisor, coach, consultant with specialised added value, delivering higher value services

• collaborating with other professionals, and taking his or her role!!!

Professional competences

• Academic attitude, analyze and interprete

• Collaboration

• Communication

• Leadership: spokesman on animal issues,

leader in animal/human interface

• Business management, marketing

• Ethical standards

New graduates

• The transition to first employment is a critical one.

• Early negative experiences demotivates working in (farm animal) practice

• Attractive work under supervision and working as “vet-in-education” can help

• Continuing professional development to improve and broaden professional skills and personal qualities

Content

• What’s happening around us – In general

– Societal demands

– Food producing animals

– Companion animals

– Other

• Role of veterinarians

• Consequences for veterinary education

General

• Added value of veterinarian

• Differentiation-tracks-Specialisation

• Life-long learning

• Competencies

• Centers of excellence?

Added value of the veterinarian

• Basic:

– Healthy vs diseased

– Basic biomedical clinical expertise related to the future differentiation

– Individual and population

– Comparative medicine in multi-species

• Animal Health “specialist”

• Animal welfare protection

• One Health: the role at the interface of animals, humans and environment

Differentiation-Specialisation

• The vet should have an added value for (specialised) clients

• Knowledge is exploding in an open world: study load?

• Basic biomedical expertise related to the future differentiation

• Basic general primary skills

• (MSc-) tracks to differentiate

• Recognised by clients/market

• Quality assesments of schools and vets!! Vet.schools together with profession in the lead.

• General diplome: certified vets, not qualified to perform all treatments (?differentiated diploma’s?)

• Change in career: back to tracks, life long learning

Competences

• Veterinary expertise:

– Animal health

– Animal welfare

– Public health, One Health

• Communication

• Collaboration

• Business management, marketing

• Personal, leadership and academic attitude

Centers of excellence

• Can every School provide all differentiation?

• Basics and theory: yes

• All differentiations possible?

– Schools provide tracks depending on possiblities: clinical training, specialised crew (also international experience)

– Recognised and accepted quality assessment!

Change management of

vet.schools • There are changing external demands for the future

veterinarian:

• How flexibile are we to react on changed demands? Other focus and new things in the curriculum are required!

• Too much to know and to learn: we have to choose, but what are we not going to choose or to do?

• Is our staff flexible in thinking about: – the changing skills and outcome assessments of our graduates

– and the consequences for the curriculum?

• A thorough quality system is a must!

• Influenced by external circumstances: there must always be an open mind for change! That’s quality management

• We, as deans, must tell the story and do it, that’s strategic leadership!

Conclusion

• Beautiful profession with good image and reputation

• Lots of possibilities in the future

• Much more than a traditional veterinary practitioner

• More consciousness on serving society

• Leadership in animal health, animal welfare, One health, wildlife

• Other skills and competencies requested

• Basic veterinary knowledge combined with differentiation: added value!!

• Open mind for changing possibilities

• Recognised quality systems!

The future veterinarian

Based on knowledge and skills of animal

health, animal welfare and public health :

• is serving society

• as an advisor, coach, consultant with

specialised added value, recognised by

clients

• collaborating with other professionals, and

taking his or her role!!!

Thank you