The study projects a significant shortfall in veterinarians that specialize in handling livestock within the next 10 years. The study was commissioned in 2004 by a coalition of veterinary organizations and conducted by Kansas State University's College of Business Administration.
The study, released last week, and regarded as the most comprehensive of its kind, found that while demand for food animal veterinarians is projected to increase 12-13% by 2016, four out of every 100 jobs will go unfilled.
The shortfall is also expected to affect government agencies like the U.S. Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which is entrusted with protecting U.S. agricultural health, according to the study.
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