Brexit and EU vets working in the UK

I'm often asked how are thing s going on in the new Brexit-UK for us the EU veterinary workers?

Concern. There is concern. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, RCVS, is working on answering all the questions on the impact of the Brexit as best they can.

On 13 March 2017 the RCVS announces their three Brexit Principles, being the first one "that 'vital veterinary work continues to get done’, reflects concerns that potential immigration restrictions could cause significant labour shortages in the UK, particularly in the meat industry and in public health. Policies attached to this Principle include lobbying to ensure that EU vets and veterinary nurses currently working in the UK are allowed to remain indefinitely, and in the longer-term ensuring that any reduction in numbers from abroad is offset by an appropriately-funded increase in home-grown talent, while upskilling and extending the role of veterinary nurses"

The British Veterinary Association, BVA, also has its say in protecting the status of of EU veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses who are currently living and working in the UK, while at the same time, young veterinary graduates are disillusioned with the profession. In their open letter sent to the PM they stress that "There are also reports of a negative impact on recruitment and retention: those involved in public health critical roles, such as meat hygiene, are having increasing difficulty recruiting much needed EU veterinary surgeons to work in the UK; leading experts from overseas are turning down employment offers from top UK universities; and many others are considering leaving the UK due to a feeling it is no longer welcoming to foreigners"

The Veterinary Record Journal recently published that "The thousands of non-UK EU vets working in the UK will be hoping that Theresa May isn't living in another galaxy and that they can have the option to secure their future here. 20 per cent of the UK veterinary workforce is made up of vets who graduated at EU universities. In 2014, new registrants from non-UK EU vet schools was 43%. Public health veterinary services are overwhelmingly dependent, with 95 per cent of all veterinary posts in the meat hygiene sector being held by overseas graduates.The Major Employers Group estimates that 30% of their combined workforces are non-UK EU graduates" and " more likely than their UK colleagues to work full time. EU nationals  make up 22% of all vets working in UK academia, vital to training the vets of the future"

The BVA's working group points out in its ‘Brexit and the Veterinary Profession’ report some 52 recommendations for the government when negotiating a Brexit deal: "the UK government should guarantee working rights for non-British EU vets and veterinary nurses currently working and studying in the UK, at the existing level and with no time limit. The BVA wants to see vets added to the Shortage Occupation List. Recruitment and retention difficulties that have beset the profession for many years have now taken root and are getting worse. There are simply not enough vets to fill available posts. 40% of practices with vacancies took more than three months to recruit or had withdrawn a vacancy due to a lack of suitable candidates within the last 12 months. A fifth of members said it had become even harder to recruit since the referendum"

Our interviews with  non-UK EU vets paint a picture of a resilient and pragmatic group of workers. They know their value and ‘feel’ the UK's need for professionals like them. They believe that pragmatism will win out and they will be allowed to stay.

David Vasiloiu, a farm and poultry vet in Hereford, says ‘We are paying our taxes and contributing to the agricultural system. It's a win-win.’ Francesco Cian, a veterinary clinical pathologist, from Warwick, says ‘I'm not planning to go anywhere unless they kick me out.’

LETTER SENT BY THE RCVS AND BVA TO THE PRIME MINISTER, 18 october 2016

Dear Prime Minister,

Like all professions and sectors, we are currently involved in detailed debates regarding how Brexit is likely to affect our members and how we can best harness the opportunities it may present. We are very keen to work with the government to make a success of Brexit within our sector. The veterinary profession plays a crucial role in protecting public health, relies heavily on EU graduates and is already feeling the impact of the EU referendum.

The UK veterinary profession is made up of over 26,000 veterinary surgeons and over 11,000 veterinary nurses, working to improve the health and welfare of animals, to monitor and control the spread of diseases, and to assure the safety of the food we eat. Each year around 50% of veterinary surgeons registering to practise in the UK are from overseas, with the vast majority coming from the EU. EU veterinary surgeons make a particularly strong contribution to public health critical roles such as working in the Government Veterinary Services. In the meat hygiene sector some estimates suggest 95% of veterinary surgeons graduated overseas. Consequently, Brexit and accompanying changes to the mutual recognition system or immigration restrictions could have a profound impact upon the veterinary workforce.

We are currently considering how best to manage the potential impact on the veterinary workforce, and will be very pleased to discuss these issues with the relevant government departments in due course. However, even before Article 50 is triggered we are experiencing a negative impact on the existing veterinary workforce.

We have received reports that the increasing focus on foreign workers is causing personal distress to individual members of the veterinary profession who live and work in the UK. There are also reports of a negative impact on recruitment and retention: those involved in public health critical roles, such as meat hygiene, are having increasing difficulty recruiting much needed EU veterinary surgeons to work in the UK; leading experts from overseas are turning down employment offers from top UK universities; and many others are considering leaving the UK due to a feeling it is no longer welcoming to foreigners. There is a danger that the language and rhetoric around Brexit, alongside the ongoing uncertainty for non-British EU citizens, could seriously impact the veterinary profession’s ability to fulfil its essential roles.

The government has encouraged professions like ours to present factual data on the EU migration issues so that you can fully understand the challenges the country faces. The RCVS has begun the process of commissioning detailed research into the impact that Brexit is having upon those working in the profession and the implications this could have for the veterinary workforce. We will keep your officials informed as to the results of this research.

In the meantime, we reiterate our call for the government to protect the status of non-British EU vets and vet nurses currently working and studying in the UK, and urge Ministers to be mindful of the negative impact of what may be perceived as ‘anti-foreigner’ rhetoric.

We are committed to working with you to identify opportunities created by Brexit for animal health and welfare, public health and veterinary research and to realise our joint vision for the UK to continue to lead in these areas, and we are keen to maintain close communication with you and your colleagues as the negotiations develop.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Tufnell, President, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

Gudrun Ravetz, President, British Veterinary Association

You can read the response in here.