Lincolnshire farm vet shortages 'a risk to welfare'

Some farmers have struggled to find emergency cover due to the shortage, vets have said

A shortage of farm vets in Lincolnshire is putting the welfare of animals at risk, according to industry professionals.

Molly McKay said there were only eight vets in the county, including her, providing emergency cover for local farmers.

"Obviously, that's not sustainable," she said, adding that she was currently working 70 hours a week to meet demand.

"We need more vets so we can offer a good service to everybody," she said.

Molly McKay said it was vital to ensure farmers had access to good veterinary cover in their area

According to The British Veterinary Association (BVA), some areas of the county - which has tens of thousands of farm animals - have no emergency cover at all.

In some cases farmers face having "to do what they can themselves or to put the animal out of its misery", Ms McKay said.

"But if it's something which is sortable, farmers want their animals to be sorted - so they need the veterinary cover for that."

Dairy manager Dirk Simpson said he was concerned about the shortage of farm vets

Dirk Simpson, who is the dairy manager at a farm at Caenby Corner, north of Lincoln, said he was concerned for the future.

"Molly is about as valuable as you can get, [but] it's all got to go on - we'll all retire and somebody has to fill the place," he said.

"We've got 400 pets here - that's basically what they are - and they all need to be cared for," he added.

The farm is hosting veterinary students throughout the summer as part of an initiative to boost numbers.

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BVA president James Russell said the departure of EU-trained vets after Brexit had exacerbated the problem.

"We've seen those numbers really dry up," he said.

Mr Russell said farm animal work had also been particularly badly affected as most graduates chose to work with smaller animals.

"And that, of course, is going to present huge animal welfare challenges," he added.

The government has added the profession to the Home Office's shortage list to make it easier to recruit people from overseas.

"Two new veterinary schools have [also] recently opened which will allow significantly more UK veterinary graduates to practise from 2025," a spokesperson said.