Relating national veterinary services to the country's livestock industry: case studies from four countries--Great Britain, Botswana, Perú, and Vietnam.

At the end of WW II, the British Government of the time decided that it was essential for Britain to become self-sufficient in food. In consequence there was a large investment in services to agriculture and in particular many new veterinary investigation centers were opened to help farmers produce more animal products. The upsurge in world trade led the Government of Mrs. Thatcher to decide that livestock was just another commodity and so there has been a massive scaling down of money available to assist the livestock farmer. For Botswana the livestock industry is vital to the well-being of the people and successive Governments have continued to invest in veterinary services. As a consequence, Botswana has one of the best and most efficient Veterinary Services in Africa. By contrast, the livestock industry in Perú has an insignificant effect on the gross national product. The fiber exports from camelids are a small international market, while the dairy industry is unable to provide sufficient milk for the nation. Partly as a result of this, the Peruvian Government invests very little in the livestock industry or the veterinary services that support it. Vietnam is in a transitional stage: there is a large but as yet unorganized livestock industry with a mass of smallholder farmers. The Government has made a large investment in people in the Department of Animal Health but without a concomitant investment in equipment and training. If the industry is to develop, it will require much more investment from the government. These countries will be discussed in more detail and an attempt will be made to show how by relating the services to the livestock industry, governments can improve services and at the same time cut the costs.