MONROE - The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), with more than 76,000 members, is urging U. S. Congress to pass several pieces of legislation that will beef up the nation's supply of veterinarians.
Dr. Gregory S. Hammer, president of the AVMA, testified Feb. 7 before the House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry. He urged the United States Department of Agriculture to implement the National Veterinary Medical Service Act (NVMSA).
The act, which was signed into law by President Bush in 2003 and received funding in fiscal years 2006-2008, is a loan repayment program for veterinarians who pledge to practice in a variety of underserved areas of veterinary medicine, including food supply veterinary medicine.
"These food supply veterinarians are the guardians of our nation's food supply, and they will be the first medical professionals to diagnose and contain diseases in animals that may spread to humans," Hammer said.
According to an AVMA news release Feb. 8, a study conducted at Kansas State University projects the supply of veterinarians working in food safety will fall short by 4 to 5 percent annually through 2016.
Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Wis., who represents an area where the 500,000 farm animals are only slightly less than the 700,000 human residents, encouraged the USDA to act quickly in implementing the act.
"This act is necessary," Kagen said, "because the animals can't fix themselves."
Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., and ranking member of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, testified that Congress has appropriated about $1.9 million for NVMSA. He warned, however, that future funding may be at risk if the USDA doesn't implement the program.
Officials with the USDA testified during the hearing that they lack the capability to administer the loan repayment program, saying "such programs have never been the function" of the agency. They also indicated that the act's language complicates the process by not allowing them to work with the nation's 28 colleges of veterinary medicine to coordinate the program.
Members of the subcommittee, however, questioned why USDA considers the act hard to implement.
"In crafting this Act in 2003, the committee worked closely with USDA to ensure proper implementation of a simple and straightforward program that would allow USDA to offer incentives to large animal veterinarians to practice in under-served rural communities," said Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa). "It is frustrating that four years later, USDA is now bringing concerns to our attention."
Dr. W. Ron DeHaven, executive vice president of the AVMA, testified Jan. 23 before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, in support of the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act. The act would create a competitive grants program designed to produce more veterinarians and enhance the country's capacity for research on diseases that threaten public health and food safety.
If approved, the program would provide federal funding to build more classrooms, laboratory space and support facilities at the country's 28 veterinary colleges, which are at or above capacity and graduate only about 2,500 veterinarians annually.
U.S. Representatives Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Charles Pickering, R-Miss., are chief sponsors of the legislation, which was introduced last year.
"Veterinarians are uniquely positioned to view health through the lens of public health impact and to understand how human and animal health interact," Baldwin said. "If we don't address the shortage of veterinarians and lack of capacity in veterinary schools soon, we'll find ourselves dangerously under-prepared and ill-equipped to deal with future public health threats."
Subcommittee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., said the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act will allow schools to increase enrollment and produce "the next generation" of veterinary medical professionals.
"It has been 30 years since the federal government has provided funding to increase the number of veterinarians in our country," Pallone said.
The AVMA commended the U.S. Senate for passage of the Veterinary Workforce Grant Program (VWGP) as part of the 2007 farm bill, The Food and Energy Security Act, in mid-December.
The 2007 farm bill passed the Senate by a vote of 79-14, garnering more votes than any farm bill since 1973.
The veterinary education program is intended to help ensure an adequate supply of public health and food safety veterinarians in the future.
"Increasing the number of trained veterinary professionals in agricultural bio-security will bolster our efforts to protect the food supply and mitigate the effects of disease outbreaks." said Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., who coauthored the bill.
"The Farm Bill is vitally important to rural families, rural communities and the nation as a whole. By establishing the Veterinary Workforce Grant Program, the Farm Bill will address the shortage of veterinarians in this country, particularly among those trained in agricultural bio-security," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
Dr. Gregory S. Hammer, president of the AVMA, testified Feb. 7 before the House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry. He urged the United States Department of Agriculture to implement the National Veterinary Medical Service Act (NVMSA).
The act, which was signed into law by President Bush in 2003 and received funding in fiscal years 2006-2008, is a loan repayment program for veterinarians who pledge to practice in a variety of underserved areas of veterinary medicine, including food supply veterinary medicine.
"These food supply veterinarians are the guardians of our nation's food supply, and they will be the first medical professionals to diagnose and contain diseases in animals that may spread to humans," Hammer said.
According to an AVMA news release Feb. 8, a study conducted at Kansas State University projects the supply of veterinarians working in food safety will fall short by 4 to 5 percent annually through 2016.
Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Wis., who represents an area where the 500,000 farm animals are only slightly less than the 700,000 human residents, encouraged the USDA to act quickly in implementing the act.
"This act is necessary," Kagen said, "because the animals can't fix themselves."
Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., and ranking member of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, testified that Congress has appropriated about $1.9 million for NVMSA. He warned, however, that future funding may be at risk if the USDA doesn't implement the program.
Officials with the USDA testified during the hearing that they lack the capability to administer the loan repayment program, saying "such programs have never been the function" of the agency. They also indicated that the act's language complicates the process by not allowing them to work with the nation's 28 colleges of veterinary medicine to coordinate the program.
Members of the subcommittee, however, questioned why USDA considers the act hard to implement.
"In crafting this Act in 2003, the committee worked closely with USDA to ensure proper implementation of a simple and straightforward program that would allow USDA to offer incentives to large animal veterinarians to practice in under-served rural communities," said Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa). "It is frustrating that four years later, USDA is now bringing concerns to our attention."
Dr. W. Ron DeHaven, executive vice president of the AVMA, testified Jan. 23 before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, in support of the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act. The act would create a competitive grants program designed to produce more veterinarians and enhance the country's capacity for research on diseases that threaten public health and food safety.
If approved, the program would provide federal funding to build more classrooms, laboratory space and support facilities at the country's 28 veterinary colleges, which are at or above capacity and graduate only about 2,500 veterinarians annually.
U.S. Representatives Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Charles Pickering, R-Miss., are chief sponsors of the legislation, which was introduced last year.
"Veterinarians are uniquely positioned to view health through the lens of public health impact and to understand how human and animal health interact," Baldwin said. "If we don't address the shortage of veterinarians and lack of capacity in veterinary schools soon, we'll find ourselves dangerously under-prepared and ill-equipped to deal with future public health threats."
Subcommittee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., said the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act will allow schools to increase enrollment and produce "the next generation" of veterinary medical professionals.
"It has been 30 years since the federal government has provided funding to increase the number of veterinarians in our country," Pallone said.
The AVMA commended the U.S. Senate for passage of the Veterinary Workforce Grant Program (VWGP) as part of the 2007 farm bill, The Food and Energy Security Act, in mid-December.
The 2007 farm bill passed the Senate by a vote of 79-14, garnering more votes than any farm bill since 1973.
The veterinary education program is intended to help ensure an adequate supply of public health and food safety veterinarians in the future.
"Increasing the number of trained veterinary professionals in agricultural bio-security will bolster our efforts to protect the food supply and mitigate the effects of disease outbreaks." said Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., who coauthored the bill.
"The Farm Bill is vitally important to rural families, rural communities and the nation as a whole. By establishing the Veterinary Workforce Grant Program, the Farm Bill will address the shortage of veterinarians in this country, particularly among those trained in agricultural bio-security," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.