Strengthening Rural Veterinarian Management: The Ministry of Agriculture Issues a Related Notice

The Ministry of Agriculture Issues a Notice on Strengthening the Management of Rural Veterinarians, Nong Ban Yi [2010] No. 7

To the animal husbandry and veterinary (agriculture, agriculture and animal husbandry) departments (bureaus, offices, commissions) of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, and the Agriculture Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:

In order to strengthen the management of rural veterinary practice, improve the professional quality and professional ethics of rural veterinarians, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of rural veterinarians, in accordance with the Animal Epidemic Prevention Law and the Measures for the Management of Rural Veterinarians, the relevant matters are hereby notified as follows.

1. Unify thinking and further raise awareness of the importance of rural veterinarian management work

Rural veterinarians refer to personnel who have not yet obtained the practicing veterinarian qualification and who, after registration, engage in animal diagnosis and treatment service activities in rural areas. The rural veterinarian team is the foundation of the animal epidemic disease prevention and control system and an important force for the implementation of various animal epidemic prevention measures. Strengthening the building of the rural veterinarian team can extend the animal epidemic prevention network to the grassroots level, strengthen animal epidemic prevention awareness at the grassroots level, and impart animal epidemic prevention techniques at the grassroots level. It is conducive to the early detection of major animal epidemics such as avian influenza and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, and to the implementation of various animal epidemic disease prevention and control measures. In order to strengthen the building and management of the rural veterinarian team, the Ministry of Agriculture issued the Measures for the Management of Rural Veterinarians, which clearly stipulates the implementation of a rural veterinarian registration system, requires strengthened professional training for rural veterinarians, and strictly regulates the practice behavior of rural veterinarians. All localities, in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture, have taken measures to strengthen the building of the rural veterinarian team. But overall progress is still very slow, the rural veterinarian registration work has not yet been fully rolled out, the intensity of rural veterinarian training is still insufficient, and the practice behavior of rural veterinarians is still not standardized. At present, the situation for the prevention and control of major animal epidemics in our country is still very severe, and the task of developing livestock production is arduous. All localities must stand at the height of politics and the overall situation, fully understand the importance of strengthening rural veterinarian management work, enhance the sense of responsibility, mission, and urgency for doing this work well, adopt practical and effective measures, further strengthen the building and management of the rural veterinarian team, and effectively improve the capacity and level of grassroots animal epidemic prevention work.

2. Grasp the key points and comprehensively advance the building and management of the rural veterinarian team

(1) Strengthen rural veterinarian registration management. Rural veterinarian registration is the most basic rural veterinarian management system. Veterinary personnel engaged in animal diagnosis and treatment service activities in rural areas must apply to the local county-level veterinary competent department for rural veterinarian registration. All localities must strictly grasp the conditions for rural veterinarian registration, standardize registration procedures, clarify the scope of practice, and promptly review and issue rural veterinarian registration certificates. It is necessary to strengthen the management of rural veterinarian registration information, establish and improve rural veterinarian management archives, and summarize and report rural veterinarian registration information level by level. It is necessary to accelerate the process of information network management for rural veterinarians and make full use of modern information technology means to manage rural veterinarians. The work of rural veterinarian registration and certification must be completed before the end of October 2010.

(2) Strengthen rural veterinarian training. Organizing and carrying out various forms of rural veterinarian training and improving the professional quality of rural veterinarians is the focus of the current building and management of the rural veterinarian team. All localities must promptly formulate rural veterinarian training plans and programs, establish and improve a rural veterinarian training textbook system, increase investment in rural veterinarian training funds, ensure that rural veterinarians receive training once every two years, and continuously improve their professional quality and work ability. It is necessary to encourage eligible rural veterinarians to take the practicing veterinarian qualification examination, encourage personnel who have obtained the practicing veterinarian qualification to engage in animal diagnosis and treatment service activities in rural areas, promote the flow of high-level veterinary personnel to rural areas and their concentration in large-scale breeding farms, and gradually improve the comprehensive capacity of grassroots animal epidemic prevention.

(3) Strengthen the management of rural veterinary practice. All localities must strengthen the management of rural veterinary practice, effectively standardize the use of veterinary drugs by rural veterinarians, and strictly fulfill the obligation to report animal epidemics. It is necessary to organically combine the management of rural veterinarians with the management of village-level animal epidemic prevention workers and advance them in a coordinated manner. Priority must be given to determining registered and filed rural veterinarians as village-level animal epidemic prevention workers.

3. Strengthen leadership and ensure that all tasks of rural veterinarian management are carried out effectively

All localities must regard rural veterinarian management as an important task in the current building of the grassroots veterinary team, place it in a prominent position, put it on an important agenda, and effectively strengthen leadership. It is necessary to strengthen coordination and communication with departments such as finance and labor security, strive for the support of relevant departments, and make efforts to resolve rural veterinarian training funding. Places with conditions must actively explore the establishment of a social insurance mechanism for village-level animal epidemic prevention workers and rural veterinarians, effectively resolve the worries of village-level animal epidemic prevention workers and rural veterinarians, and stabilize the grassroots animal epidemic prevention team. It is necessary to conscientiously summarize and exchange good experience and practices in rural veterinarian management, strengthen publicity for the building of the rural veterinarian team and grassroots epidemic prevention work, and create a favorable external environment.

All localities are requested to promptly report to the Veterinary Bureau of our Ministry the progress of rural veterinarian registration work, as well as the problems and suggestions existing in rural veterinarian management work.

January 25, 2010