BARRING a couple of years during the Second World War veterinarians in the service of the state’s farmers this week marked a century of gatherings at Orange Ex-Services Club.
NSW Local Land Services chairman Richard Bull, just before his opening address to the three-day conference of Local Land Services veterinarians on Tuesday, said it was a heritage to be proud of.
“They used to call them stock inspectors, but it sounded a bit formal and didn’t really describe their job,” he said.
Central Tablelands district veterinarian Bruce Watt, who helped organise the conference, said 54 LLS vets would gather and hear technical addresses from experts in disease prevention that LLS needed to be aware of.
Dr Watt said LLS had benefited greatly from having ratepayers fund the service because it created a stability quite removed from the government of the day.
Mr Bull agreed.
“No other state has a level of service like the public veterinary services in NSW,” he said.
“Not only are our vets responsible for assisting and advising ratepayers daily with animal health issues, they play a big part in emergency response and broader biosecurity programs.”
“The district veterinarian model continues to serve us well and Local Land Services staff prove time and time again that they can respond in both reactive and proactive situations in a timely manner.”
LLS chief executive David Witherdin said the conference was cause to celebrate the 54 veterinarians who work with landholders across NSW.
“There’s 46 years between the youngest and oldest veterinarians on our team, so the breadth of knowledge in our workforce is something we should be very proud of,” Mr Witherdin said.
“Their role is often very physical work, they travel long distances and it can be very emotional being on the frontline working with farmers to treat or prevent animal health issues.
“They are a critical part of the Local Land Services family.”
The conference began on Tuesday and ends today.
