The Walloon government has approved a €680,000 “Rural Vet Pact” to encourage young veterinarians to set up practice in the countryside, Agriculture Minister Anne-Catherine Dalcq announced on Sunday at the Libramont Agricultural Fair.
The plan aims to tackle a lack of interest in rural practice, chosen by only 8% of veterinarians under 35. Dalcq said the initiative was needed to ensure Wallonia had enough rural vets to support livestock farming.
A central measure is direct start-up support for young graduates. Of the total budget, €320,000 will be reserved specifically to help newly qualified veterinarians establish rural practices and reduce their initial fixed costs.
The incentives will focus first on areas where the shortage of new recruits is most severe. Some provinces, including Luxembourg, are particularly affected by the lack of rural practitioners.
The pact also strengthens support for young vets through earlier field immersion, a mentoring system and psychological support. Other measures include raising awareness among students about careers in large-animal medicine, funding placements on isolated farms and improving communication to encourage more people into the profession.
Dalcq said supporting rural veterinarians also meant supporting livestock farmers, protecting animal health, safeguarding food security and securing the future of rural communities.
The pact follows the launch in 2024 of the Veterinary Observatory, known as ObsVet. One of its findings warned that, if nothing changed, Wallonia could lose half of its rural veterinarians by 2035.
The Professional Veterinary Union welcomed the adoption of the pact, saying it sent a clear message to young vets that rural practice is not a profession of the past, but one with a future at the heart of public health, agriculture and the relationship between people, animals and local areas.
