| 103 Vet Nurse Rachael Chittock. There are now around 55 vets across the group. RURAL SERVICES » VetSouth Ltd They’ve become a tremendous team in themselves.” The team included vets from around the world, including the United Kingdom, Holland, United States of America, Belgium and Germany. “Getting those people helps provide this world class service.” The Southland agricultural landscape had changed a lot over the years and was continuing to evolve, and veterinary services needed to evolve with it, Mark said. “We’ve lost a few sheep and beef farmers, but the sheep and beef farmers (that remain) are really motivated because they had the opportunity to sell to dairy but didn’t. “We’ve got a really good clientele where we’ve got really motivated dairy farmers but also motivated sheep and beef farmers. The practice was able to help farmers that wanted to be progressive in their operations. “For example, lowering emissions. That’s an area we want to help farmers in. “Farmers are asking, how do we do this? How do we meet Fonterra’s emissions targets.” A vet specialising in this area had recently joined the team, working with farmers to change practices. Animal welfare was also becoming a priority for farmers, and the WelFarm initiative set up by Vet South that operates across the country had had a big uptake, Mark said. The clinic has partnered with key veterinary clinics dedicated to supporting farmers with animal welfare. The clinic works in with Massey University and hosts 15 students each year for a week that they call the Swede Safari. “We did it as a pilot project for a few years, now it’s become so successful it’s become part of the curriculum. “We’re trying our best to encourage students to come to the South Island. The size and scale of what we’ve got now gives more variety.”
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