More Vets Needed

As part of its effort to help address the shortage of food supply veterinarians, the American Veterinary Medical Association recently unveiled a revamped Food Supply Veterinary Medicine Web page. The new page is loaded with information about careers in food supply veterinary medicine, why it’s such a critical field and which states are being hit harder than others by the shortage. According to AVMA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ron DeHaven, - a recent study commissioned by the AVMA indicates the demand for veterinarians in food supply veterinary medicine will increase about 13 percent during the next several years. The supply will fall short of what is needed by about 4 percent or 5 percent annually. The number of veterinary school graduates entering food supply medicine remains stagnant, and this lack of growth, DeHaven says, has all the makings of a crisis. He says - few jobs are more important when it comes to food safety than that of the veterinarian. The revamped Food Supply Veterinary Medicine Web page can be found at www.avma.org.