New Brunswick vet cuts leave livestock farmers uncertain over emergency cover
New Brunswick is pressing ahead with plans to privatize its provincial veterinary service, while farmers warn that emergency cover for large animals could become less reliable in a tight labour market.
New Brunswick’s Liberal government is showing no sign of reversing its decision to privatize the provincial veterinary service that looks after large animals such as cows and horses. CBC News reported on June 8 that the dispute has become a major flashpoint for livestock farmers because it goes directly to emergency coverage and farm animal welfare rather than to a marginal administrative change.
According to CBC, more than 300 farmers and supporters gathered on the lawn of the provincial legislature to protest the plan. The article notes that the demonstration was visible and well attended, but comments from Premier Susan Holt and the agriculture minister indicated that the government still intends to proceed. For livestock producers, that means uncertainty remains over how quickly vets will be available when urgent on-farm cases arise.
Mike Bouma, a dairy farmer involved in a committee meeting provincial officials on the transition, told CBC he was pessimistic because he believes the government has already made up its mind. At the same time, Holt said discussions with farm groups and veterinarians are continuing and that the province must ensure emergency services remain in place. She said farmers would be guaranteed the veterinary services they need by April 2027.
CBC also reported a longer transition timetable around the rest of the system. A privatized veterinary service is planned for April 2027, while private laboratory services are expected by April 2028. From a farm operations standpoint, that means producers are being asked to trust a model that still has to secure staffing, define emergency arrangements and prove it can work outside the main urban centres.
The article underlines a wider structural problem: North America is already short of veterinarians. Bouma argued that the real leverage now sits with the profession itself, because any new service model depends on enough vets agreeing to work in it. That makes the New Brunswick fight more than a provincial political story. It is also a reminder that livestock systems remain vulnerable when public animal-health infrastructure is reshaped before replacement capacity is firmly in place.