Wales has seen an 8% increase in the number of veterinary job listings over the past month, according to Eville & Jones, the leading supplier of official veterinary controls in Europe.
The company has over 30 vacancies for veterinary roles in Wales, including area managers, export veterinarians, certification support officers and meat hygiene inspectors, making it the area with the most vacancies in the UK.
Usually, vets from within the EU have plugged the shortfall in the UK, but since Brexit, this number has dropped rapidly. This is due to new rules set by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), that require vets to formally meet a high standard of English at level 7, compared to level 4.1 which is required for a skilled work visa.
Eville & Jones said Aberystwyth was the only veterinary university in Wales, and this won’t produce graduates for a few more years.
The company said it was calling for qualified vets to seriously think about applying for a role within veterinary public health, which plays a crucial role in ensuring food production levels can be maintained and checked safely.