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According to the committee, there is “no clear picture of the scale or nature of the shortages”.

Letter to minister sets out proposals to deal with national issue.

A committee of MPs has written to environment secretary Steve Barclay to suggest changes the government needs to make to tackle the shortage of veterinary surgeons in the UK.

The proposals in the letter from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee include lowering the minimum salary threshold for veterinary surgeons coming from abroad and incentives for veterinary surgeons to work in regions and roles that are experiencing acute shortages.

The letter states that while efforts are being made to expand the UK’s training capacity, the country has been reliant on overseas graduates to fill roles. However, since Brexit there has been a large drop in the number of veterinary surgeons from the EU registering to work in the UK. While 1134 registered in 2019, the number was just 536 in 2023.

The committee said that new visa rules, which came into force in April, risk making this situation worse. There is now a £48,100 minimum salary threshold for veterinary surgeons coming from abroad to quality for a work visa.

The MPs have urged the government to review the impact of the rules and engage with the sector on suitable salary thresholds.

Among the other proposed measures, the committee also called for reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, the creation of debt forgiveness schemes to encourage graduates to work in regions and roles with the most severe shortages, and for the government to support the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in developing a workforce model to better understand the scale of veterinary shortages.

The letter follows an evidence session held in March, in which the committee heard from the UK’s chief veterinary officer and representatives from the Food Stands Agency, the Royal Veterinary College and the British Veterinary Association (BVA).

In response to the committee’s letter, Elizabeth Mullineaux, BVA junior vice-president, said: “The UK has been experiencing workforce shortages for some time, exacerbated by the pandemic, soaring pet ownership and the fallout from Brexit, alongside an increase in vets leaving the profession.

“Overseas graduates have been critical in meeting the shortfall, however recent changes to the skilled worker visa rules requiring veterinary surgeons coming to the UK to meet a salary threshold is likely to exacerbate the situation further.

“The BVA is pressing the UK government to reconsider the rules in relation to vets, who not only play a critical role in the welfare of the nation’s pets, but are essential to disease control, UK food security and international trade.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “We value the work of vets and other professionals who work with animals, and we are considering the best way to utilise them to ease the burden on veterinary capacity both now and in the future.

“As part of our efforts, we established a Veterinary Education and Future Capacity Working Group, working with the public and private sector to help reduce workforce shortages and promote a sustainable education system capable of delivering across all sectors of the veterinary profession.”

The full letter from the committee can be read here.

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