The United Nations has defined 17 Sustainable Development Goals including no poverty, zero hunger, good health and wellbeing, gender equality, clean water, climate action and sustainable use of the oceans and landmass as well as many others (sdgs.un.org/goals). Most, if not all, of these goals can be linked in some way to our food supply. As a profession dedicated to animal welfare, we have a large part to play locally, nationally and globally in aiding society in achieving these goals.
More specifically, as livestock veterinarians we have always been focused on helping our clients optimise animal health and welfare while maintaining the viability of their businesses. However, when I was a veterinary student in the 1980s, we measured success in terms of reduced morbidity and mortality or enhanced yield, growth rate or food conversion efficiency. Nowadays of course businesses need to remain profitable in very challenging political and economic times, but there is the added pressure of ‘sustainability measures’ against which we are being judged. For example, many dairy farmers will be receiving payments for supplying carbon footprint data to milk buyers. How long will it be before we see associated pricing pressure designed to drive down carbon footprints, or improve other measures of sustainability, and how will producers and us as advisors respond to that? This edition of Cattle Review page 79 focuses on recent research papers looking at aspects of sustainability as it relates to our work with clients. For example, do you consider vaccination as a tool to improve sustainability or just as a means of reducing disease?
In response to this changing landscape, modern day veterinary education is pivoting rapidly towards considering sustainability in everything that we do. For example, Bristol Veterinary School is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its foundation as we roll out a new curriculum which has sustainability teaching at its core. The new curriculum is case-based and focused on students developing enhanced communication and clinical skills, with the intended learning outcomes of all teaching being reviewed against the Vet Sustain (2020) Veterinary Sustainability Goals. There are a growing number of excellent resources out there on this subject from Vet Sustain, Vet Salus (vetsalus.com) and others, as well as policy documents and a tool kit produced by the British Veterinary Association (2024) and the British Cattle Veterinary Association (2021) sustainability policy. These should inspire you to look at not just how to make your own business and private activities more sustainable, but also how to focus your advice on-farm around the sustainability agenda. The answer is not, as some might suggest, stopping keeping livestock, but we do have a responsibility to do everything possible to improve efficiency and sustainability while optimising animal welfare. I believe livestock agriculture, and particularly ruminant production, has a very strong future, but we must not be complacent. I challenge you all to explore the resources cited here and decide on five things you can focus on in the coming months to improve the sustainability of your clients' farms.
Don't forget that the sustainability of our profession is also vital. On that note, I'd strongly urge you to vote in the upcoming RCVS Council election, as it is vital we get people who understand the livestock sector and its many challenges. It's likely to be the last chance to elect council members, with the RCVS soon to change the appointments process. Every vote this year will be vital!