MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - Members of the county’s agricultural services board (ASB) have reviewed and supported several resolutions – including two in support rural veterinary education and practice – set to come before an upcoming provincial conference.
The resolutions have been put forward by various ASBs in the province and are scheduled to be voted on at the 2023 provincial agricultural service board convention in Grande Prairie. They were considered at a recent county ASB meeting.
If passed, the resolutions will be used to lobby the provincial government for action.
“The resolution process is an important part of the relevance of agricultural service boards and the conference, while it is also a forum for learning; resolutions try to raise awareness on the issues affecting agriculture and the community through a collective voice,” administration said in a briefing note to the board.
Members supported a resolution put forward by the Municipal District of Greenview #16 calling for the province to “work with the Alberta Veterinarian Medical Association to create a mid-level veterinary professional designation within the Veterinary Profession Act to address the rural veterinary shortage and provide a mid-level supportive care to Alberta producers, including but not limited to pregnancy checking, vaccination, semen testing, blood draws and wellness checks.”
Another supported resolution, co-sponsored by Mountain View County, calls for the provincial government to “aid the crisis of rural veterinary shortage by directing the University of Calgary to adjust admissions to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine for students from rural areas applying by providing for credit for rural acuity and prioritize accepting students who intend to specialize in large animal practice and return to work in rural areas following completion of their program.”
A supported resolution sponsored Northern Sunrise County calls on the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation to “provide sustainable operational funding to applied research associations to maintain local, unbiased research and extension services that keep Alberta agriculture innovative and competitive.”
A supported resolution put forward by Saddle Hills County calls on Alberta Environment and Protected Areas to “allow landowner special licences to be valid for the entirety of the season in all wildlife management unfits in which the applicant has deemed land.”
A supported resolution sponsored by Leduc County calls on the province to “develop a communications plan to promote awareness for Albertans regarding the disparity between the prices that agricultural producers receive for their products and the prices consumers pay.”
All the resolutions must be approved at the January convention to be officially adopted.
The ASB is made up on county councillors and appointed members of the district’s agricultural community. It promotes, enhances and protects the viability and sustainability of agriculture, according to its terms of reference.
