Letters & Submissions

The letter from the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) expresses concerns about access to veterinary care for livestock farmers in Ontario and offers recommendations for improving the Veterinary Assistance Program (VAP) and addressing the shortage of food animal veterinarians.

Key points:

1. VAP Improvement Recommendations:

   • Utilize the full VAP budget.
   • Allow both veterinarians and registered veterinary technicians (RVTs) to qualify for travel funding.
   • Increase travel reimbursement rates.
   • Consult with farmers and veterinarians.

2. Broader Context Suggestions:

   • Identify new incentives to support livestock farming.
   • Address financial and social viability issues.
   • Increase telehealth access for veterinary advice.
   • Attract more veterinary professionals to Ontario.

3. Conclusion:

   • Improve the VAP by utilizing the full budget and extending travel funding to veterinary professionals.
   • Implement additional incentives to address the shortage of food animal veterinarians.
   • Increase telehealth access.
   • Train and attract more food animal veterinary professionals to Ontario.

In essence, the letter urges the government to enhance the VAP and implement additional measures to address the shortage of food animal veterinarians in Ontario.

 

The full letter is below

Dear Ministry,

The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) is an Accredited Farm Organization representing the interests of over 4,000 farm families in Ontario who are called to the vocation of farming. CFFO policy promotes economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable farming, advocating that farmers receive fair return for their production and stewardship efforts.

The CFFO is concerned about access to veterinary care for livestock farmers in Ontario. Many farmers are already challenged to access veterinary services. The long-term outlook indicates that this may increase, rather than improve.

The Veterinary Assistance Program (VAP) has been in place for many decades and fills a vital role in providing a structure to encourage food animal veterinary services in remote and underserved areas, and funding, including to cover travel costs for on-farm veterinarian services.In reviewing the VAP, the CFFO asks that the Ministry of Northern Development specifically consider both improvements to the program itself and the context in which the program operates.

Within the scope of the VAP review, the CFFO recommends that:

• Total current funding to the VAP needs to be put to full use.
• Ensure that contracts are filled in all VAP defined areas.
• Allow clinics which have hit their “maximum” to access more funding, if it is
  available.
• Veterinary professionals, including both veterinarians and registered
  veterinary technicians (RVTs), should qualify for VAP travel funding.
• The rate per km travelled for veterinarians should be increased to better
  reflect costs and professional time.
•  A rate per km travelled for registered veterinary technicians (RVTs) should be
  determined, as appropriate for costs and professional time.
• Consultation needs to include farmers served by a Veterinary Service
  Committee (VSC) who do not currently have access to a veterinarian, and
  veterinarians who have left the program.

 

Outside of the scope of the VAP review, the CFFO further recommends that
government:

• Identify other incentives or supports to ensure communities can fill and retain
  veterinarian contracts. These need to address both the financial and social
  viability of rural food animal practices.
• Increase access to telehealth veterinary professional advice. To facilitate this,
  equipment and training for both veterinary professionals and livestock owners
  should be available.
•  Ensure Ontario successfully graduates and attracts more food animal
  veterinary professionals to serve Ontario farmers.

In Scope of VAP Review
The VAP program currently does not spend the full budget allocated to the program.
This is in part because some of the regions who participate in the program do not have
veterinarians filling contracts. At the same time, other clinics may hit the maximum
funding per year, but could be using more to serve the farms in their area.

Total current funding to the VAP needs to be put to full use. There should be a
greater onus of responsibility within the program to ensure that all Veterinary Service
Committee defined areas have a veterinarian serving the farming community. While it
may take some time to fill a vacancy, more focus needs to be paid to understanding
why a community may have lost a serving veterinarian, and what supports will be
effective in keeping a post filled.

There also needs to be a process in place to allow clinics which have hit their
“maximum” funding to apply to access more funding, if it is available, past a certain date
in the financial year of the program.

Currently, only veterinarians can access travel costs through the VAP. With the
proposed changes in legislation to recognize both veterinarians and registered
veterinary technicians (RVTs) as “veterinary professionals,” modernization of the VAP
should allow both veterinarians and RVTs, as appropriate to the needs of the call,
to qualify for VAP travel funding.

The rate paid for veterinarian travel has not changed in many years. Inflation in both the
costs of travel and the cost of professional time need to be addressed in the rate that is
set for veterinarians. At the same time, calculation on the appropriate rate set for RVTs
should fairly reflect the costs of travel and professional time as well.

It is important that all parties involved in overseeing, delivering, and accessing the
program (OMAFRA, MND, vets, and farmers) have an opportunity to contribute to the
review. The Ministry of Northern Development indicated it plans to speak directly with
farmers who have received services from a VAP funded vet in the last year.

It is important to also consult with farmers, served by a VSC, who have been without access
to a veterinarian. Consultation should also include veterinarians who formerly served
under VAP who have left the program. It is vital to discuss how to make this program
more effective in ensuring these farming communities have the veterinary services they
need, and that veterinary practices serving these areas continue to be viable, socially
and financially.

VAP in a Broader Context
The problem of access to food animal veterinarians is not unique to rural Ontario, or
even within Canada. Veterinary practices are businesses just as farm operations are.
Each desires to operate efficiently and sustain the livelihoods of those working in the
business. Market factors have contributed to the shortage of food animal veterinarians.
Beyond market forces, differences in working conditions from small animal clinics make
it challenging to keep mixed or large animal rural practices viable.

Other incentives or supports need to be identified to ensure communities can fill
and retain veterinary contracts. These need to address both the financial and social
viability of rural food animal veterinary practices.

The VAP is one form of support for livestock farming in underserved areas. That being
the case, it is important in this review to also consider what other incentives are in
place, how they can work effectively together, and what new incentives may be needed
to support livestock farming.

The CFFO appreciates current incentive grants for Ontario-trained veterinary graduates
to work in underserved areas of the province. We hope this will help to fill vacancies that
have been highly detrimental to farmers.

The financial viability of veterinary services is being undermined by the buyout of local
clinics by larger companies and pressures to focus on small animal veterinary care.
Beyond these, supports to social viability need to be considered, including access to
peers and student trainees, time away from on-call duties, and cultural fit into rural
communities, especially for newly graduated vets.

Telehealth access to veterinary professional advice also needs to increase. This
will allow access to professional advice at lower cost and to a much broader area. This
is important for farmers and small-scale livestock owners. To facilitate this, suitable
equipment and training for both veterinary professionals and livestock owners should be
made available.

Ultimately, Ontario needs more food animal veterinary professionals. Ontario needs
to successfully graduate more food animal veterinarians and food animal focused RVTs.
Ontario also needs to attract more internationally trained veterinary professionals to
serve here. This is important in the long-term to ensure livestock farming continues to
be viable across the province.

Conclusion
In undertaking this review of the Veterinary Access Program (VAP) the CFFO
recommends that total current funding to the VAP needs to be put to full use, veterinary
professionals should qualify for VAP travel funding, and that the rate paid should reflect
the costs of travel and professional time. Consultation needs to include farmers who do
not currently have access to a veterinarian, and veterinarians who have left the
program.

Beyond the scope of the VAP review, other incentives or supports are needed to ensure
communities can fill vacancies and retain veterinarians. These need to address both
financial and social viability of rural food animal veterinary practices. Telehealth access
to veterinary professional advice needs to increase. Finally, Ontario needs more food
animal veterinary professionals to serve livestock owners in the province.

We appreciate this opportunity to provide input and thank you for your consideration of our concerns and comments.

Sincerely,
Ed Scharringa, President
Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario