By Vida Booysen

Establishing the country’s second veterinary science training facility at the University of the Free State (UFS) can alleviate South Africa’s severe shortage of veterinarians.

For some time, Free State agricultural circles have known about plans to establish the country’s second veterinary science training centre, besides Onderstepoort, at the UFS.

The UFS has now officially confirmed this and announced that the relevant authorities have approved it “in principle”. There is no start date for the programme’s establishment yet.

“The UFS is planning a new veterinary science programme, strategically supported by the unique infrastructure and resources of its South Campus,” says Prof. Johan van Niekerk, Vice-Dean of Agriculture in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

“Located near the Paradise Experimental Farm, the campus provides an ideal environment for practical veterinary training. The farm’s actual livestock systems will provide students with valuable experiential learning opportunities in animal care, disease control and sustainable agriculture.”

Initially, a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) degree will be offered within the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, with plans to establish a School of Veterinary Science as the programme develops.

According to a statement by the UFS, the Minister of Higher Education and Training, the Department of Agriculture and the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC) have already approved the project in principle.

The university has been investigating the feasibility of this programme for the past five years, consulting various stakeholders in the higher education and veterinary sectors.

“As a public higher education institution, we are subject to national regulations and will confirm start dates once final approval and accreditation of the qualification have been obtained,” says Dr Nalize Scheepers of the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development.

The UFS’s Paradise Experimental Farm is located outside Bloemfontein on the Reddersburg Road and has served as a training centre for the university’s agricultural students to gain practical experience in animal production and agricultural practices for several years. The experimental farm is also heavily involved in community development. It offers training opportunities to the community by offering short agricultural courses and projects that create economic opportunities for small-scale farmers and community members.

As part of the new initiative, a veterinary academic hospital, which includes clinical training facilities, is also planned for the UFS South campus.

“It will also enable public veterinary services that can provide vital care to local farmers, livestock owners and pet owners in the surrounding communities,” says Van Niekerk.

The country is currently experiencing a dire shortage of veterinarians.

According to international norms, a country must have 200 to 400 veterinarians per million people, but according to a report by the Western Cape government, South Africa only has about 60–70 veterinarians per million people.

One factor exacerbating this critical shortage is that until now, the country has only had one training facility, the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Veterinary Science at Onderstepoort.