Sustainability training course for farm veterinary professionals launches in July

Vet Sustain and VetSalus are delighted to be launching their brand new online distance learning course this July 2022.

“A Veterinary Approach to Sustainable Food and Farming” is an online learning course designed to empower farm animal veterinarians and paraprofessionals around the world to help producers achieve multiple sustainability objectives. This unique, self-paced, 10-module course is expected to take between 4 and 6 months to complete by remote learning, and has been designed to fit around busy work and life schedules. Developed by the social enterprise Vet Sustain in partnership with VetSalus, the course will provide participants with a LANTRA-accredited certification.

Featuring referenced guides, quizzes, assignments and recommended reads, the course covers modules such as ‘The Sustainable Practitioner’, ‘Farming Systems of the World’ , ‘Efficient Farming’, ‘Agro-ecology, Organic and Regenerative Agriculture’ and ‘Sustainable and Regenerative Business’. Students will join an international community of veterinary professionals all taking the course at the same time, and will be invited to attend live recorded online tutorials with the community and course organisers at the beginning, middle and end of the course. These sessions will consolidate the learning material, address specific questions and prompt discussions.

Each module features a Module Champion from Vet Sustain’s Food and Farming Working Group, who will highlight the ways in which the course content is relevant to and can be applied to veterinary work. A dedicated forum will also be available for completing tasks and discussing relevant topics with the course community.

Tom Warboys, a veterinary surgeon at Synergy Farm Health who reviewed the course said:

“This course provides a fascinating, in-depth exploration of sustainable food production and the role practitioners hold in shaping our farming practices, both current and future. I found it challenging, enlightening and above all, motivating. It enables us as farm advisors to guide clients through the many changing expectations (and opportunities) within agriculture.”

Lewis Griffiths, Chair of VetSalus, said:

"Awareness of the many aspects of sustainability is steadily growing and it is essential that the veterinary profession is informed and capable of leading opinion in the areas where our expertise is needed most. This new course, produced by Vet Sustain and VetSalus, provides valuable information which will greatly enhance the ability of vets to provide leadership and support their clients on their ongoing journey to improve sustainability and become ever more regenerative within their farming operations."

The course is aimed at veterinary professionals and those working in vet-led businesses, and whilst there are no specific entry requirements, all students are expected to have undertaken an undergraduate degree, technical qualification as a paraprofessional, or a relevant diploma. The full price of the course will be £1250 +VAT per student (no VAT applied to non-UK businesses), but Vet Sustain and VetSalus are offering a 20% introductory discount to the first 50 students to enrol (£995 +VAT; offer ends 31st of July).

Enrolment opens on 4th July 2022, with the first live tutorial scheduled for Wednesday 20th July 2022. Be the first to register your interest at learn.vetsustain.org. For any further enquiries please contact Megan Williamson [email protected].

Notes

Vet Sustain

Vet Sustain is a not-for-profit community interest company on a mission to inspire and enable members of the veterinary professions to drive change for a more sustainable future. Vet Sustain produces the tools, training, communications and advocacy centred around six Veterinary Sustainability Goals, to help veterinary professionals and teams to continually improve the health and wellbeing of animals, people and the environment through their day-to-day work.

VetSalus vetsalus.com

VetSalus is a business initiative developed by a committed group of international veterinarians with the primary goal of establishing a global network of veterinary specialists. The core business of VetSalus is to facilitate the placement of veterinary consultants who will provide expertise in various aspects of ‘One Health’, especially animal production and sustainable farming. VetSalus is particularly interested in providing consultancy in Animal Welfare, Antimicrobial Usage and Sustainable Animal Production Systems.

LANTRA lantra.co.uk

LANTRA is one of the leading awarding bodies for land-based industries in both the UK and the Republic of Ireland. They develop quality training courses and nationally recognised qualifications that are delivered through a national network of training Provider Partners.