Selangor: Veterinary services are a key pillar in safeguarding food safety, public health, and animal welfare worldwide, Agriculture and Food Safety Ministry (KPKM) deputy secretary-general (development) Datuk Luqman Ahmad said. He emphasized the critical role veterinary services play in aligning with this year's World Veterinary Day theme, 'Veterinarians: Guardians of Food and Health,' recognizing the profession's front-line role in ensuring the quality of the food supply chain and public health.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Datuk Luqman highlighted that veterinary services are responsible for ensuring food supply safety and quality, maintaining standards from farm to table. This responsibility is undertaken by both public and private sector personnel, including veterinarians and paraveterinarians, celebrated at the World Veterinary Day event organized by the Veterinary Services Department (DVS) in Selangor.
He stressed the importance of food security as a benchmark of a country's capability to provide sufficient food for its population, urging Malaysia to enhance its national food system to support economic and social progress. Luqman called for improvements across production factors, processing, distribution, preparation, and food safety to build a more resilient and sustainable agri-food sector.
Luqman also noted challenges such as population growth, global warming, and land-use competition, which necessitate more effective strategies in the agri-food sector. He emphasized the significant role of veterinary services in meeting the Self-Sufficiency Ratio (SSR) for livestock products, ensuring sufficient meat, milk, eggs, and poultry supplies.
Meanwhile, Veterinary Services director-general Mohd Noor Hisham Mohd Haron revealed a shortage of human capital as a major challenge in Malaysia's veterinary sector. He stated that the country has about 2,600 active veterinary practitioners, whereas international benchmarks suggest a need for at least 8,500 veterinarians.
Mohd Noor Hisham highlighted the shortage of more than 5,900 veterinary professionals, with the current ratio of one veterinarian per 13,700 people, significantly below the ideal international ratio of 1:5,000. He stressed the importance of prioritizing veterinary human capital development to meet future demands.
Currently, only two public higher education institutions, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), offer Doctor of Veterinary Medicine programs, producing around 180 to 220 graduates annually. Mohd Noor Hisham welcomed the recent launch of a Doctor of Veterinary program by Management and Science University (MSU) set for August 2025, and noted interest from other institutions in developing similar programs.