The future of the veterinary profession

With the sun shining and the easing of COVID restrictions continuing as planned, there is a palpable air of optimism across the country. We are all hoping for a better year after the annus horribilis of 2020, with falling case numbers and the success of the vaccination programme providing cause for celebration. However, experiences with other viruses, both human and animal, suggest that we are naïve if we believe that the road ahead is a smooth one.

While our domestic situation is currently positive, the global position is decidedly less so. During such times the concept of ‘global health’ is increasingly important, and we ignore its challenges in Europe and further abroad at our peril. Recent geopolitical events such as Brexit, combined with the increasingly nationalistic rhetoric coming from other nations, have unfortunately preceded a global health crisis which has, to some extent, been propagated by the globalisation of society. How we choose to approach these challenges will have a significant impact on how effectively we are able to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic on a global scale.