An analysis of the influence of structural change in pig farming and poultry in Lower Saxony regarding veterinary care and topics of veterinary services.
German agriculture underwent a lot of structural changes during the last few decades. The num-ber of farms are decreasing. From 2010 to 2013 5 % abandoned their farms. The numnum-bers of livestock animals, especially pig herds and poultry, increased in the meantime. 86 % of today’s farms are farms which specialise in a vital branch of production. 41 % are specialised in cattle, sheep and goats, 5 % in pigs and 1 % in poultry.
Germany 2010 2013 2015
pigs mill 26.5 28.1 + 6 %
cattle mill 12.8 12.6 – 1.6 %
poultry mill 128.9 177.3 + 27.3 %
farms k 299.1 284.1 – 5 %
Lower Saxony keeps the majority of farm animals among the sixteen German states. According to the agrarian structure survey 2013, this included 2.5 million cattle, 9.2 million pigs and 96.5 million poultry. During the same year 1617 practicing veterinaries were registered. 240 were specialised in livestock animals, 668 in small animals and 709 specialised in both fields. 70 % of these practices were single practices, 27 % community practices and 3 % group practices.
Lower Saxony 2001 2013
cattle mill 2.8 2.5
pigs mill 7.5 9.2
poultry mill 54.3 96.5
practicing veterinarians k 1.391 1.617
The present statistical survey is based on a questionnaire that was sent to 412 livestock and mixed veterinary practices in Lower Saxony in autumn 2014. 179 (43.4 %) practices took part in this survey in form of filled out questionnaire. 163 reply letters were used for the statistical
Most important results: general praxis information:
Single practices are still the most common form of veterinary practices in Lower Saxony with 56.4 % (fy: 65.6 %). A quarter of the surveyed practices are managed by two owners (today:
27.6 % / fy: 28.8 %) and 16 % by three or more (fy: 5 %). The number of employed veterinar-ians in all 163 practices is currently 390.5 (60% female; 40 % male) compared to 102.5 (38 % female; 62 % male) during the founding year. The gender ratio among the employed veterinar-ians reversed. Veterinary practices in Lower Saxony process, in equal proportions, no veteri-nary employees (fy: 61.3 %), 1 employee (fy: 25.1%), 2–3 employees (fy: 10.4 %) and 4 or more employees (fy: 3 %).
For 61 % of the practices the average catchment area amounts to 25 km. 28 % drive 26–99 km (fy: 18 %) and 11 % drive more than 100 km (fy: 5 %). Altogether the distance between practice location and agriculture holdings increased and is strongly influenced by the attended individual species.
Veterinary practices are increasing – on the one hand due to an increasing number of community practices, on the other hand due to more employed veterinarians. Approxi-mately 75 % of today’s practices possess veterinary employees (founding year: 39%).
The catchment area is increasing and is primly influenced by the attended individual spe-cies: poultry > pigs > horses > cattle.
Most important results: main practices areas:
Half of the questioned practices declare to be specialised these days. 80 % of these practices were not or only moderately specialised during their founding year. 18 % declare that their practicing veterinarians are specialised in one species only (fy: 6.7 %). Another 38 % are highly specialised (fy: 22 %), 17 % moderately (fy: 22 %) and 17 % are not at all specialised (fy:
45 %). 84 % of the interviewed practices attend to cattle (fy: 92 %), 74 % to pigs (fy: 86 %), 52 % to horses (fy: 66 %), 21 % to poultry (fy: 21 %) and 75 % to small animals (fy: 64 %).
37 % of this practices are highly specialised in poultry, 33 % in cattle, 30 % in pigs, 14 % in horses and 11 % in small animals.
Veterinary practices are more specialised these days. 56 % veterinarians are specialised in the medical attendance of one species only. The attendance of a variety of farm animal species decreases while the attendance of small animals increased over the last few years.
Most important results: Veterinary services
The topics of veterinary services changed during the previous years. 58 % of the respondents spent more than 85 % of their veterinary service time with curative treatment during their founding year. Today it’s only 27 % of these practices. Consulting and management tasks as well as regular visits of the animal stock gained more importance. During their founding year more than 60 % of the practices spent less than 5 % of their veterinary service time on these topics. Today consulting (33 %), management (30 %) and regular visits (40 %) makes up 11 to 50 % of veterinary service time in one third of the surveyed practices.
The topics of veterinary services changed. Curative treatment becomes less important.
Consulting, management as well as regular visits of the animal stock makes an increasing proportion of veterinary services time.
Most important results: Expected change during the next five years
The majority of the practices (41.7 %) expects no change concerning the size of their practices.
31.3 % regard an enlargement, another 12.9 % a miniaturisation to be likely. Almost a quarter (23.3 %) is planning to give up, close or sell their practices. 62 % of the practices expect no changes in regards of the catchment area during the next five years. 28.2 % expect an increase and 9.2 % a decrease. 43 % assume an increase of specialisation and 55.8 % expect no change.
Compared to the treatment of all species, the treatment of small animals will increase. 48 % of the questioned practices specify that they want to increase the treatment of small animals. With regards to livestock animals, 25.8 % of the practices deem it possible to increase their treatment of cattle, 17.8 % of horses, 11 % of pigs and 4.3 % of poultry during the next five years. A decrease in treatment of the following species is expected by 31.9 % (pig), 24.5 % (cattle), 11.7 % (horse) and 4.7 % (poultry) of the practices.
Nearly half of the practices (45.4 %) expect a decrease in curative treatment in the future. 46 %
make up a bigger part of the veterinary service. An even larger group, 59 %, believes that to be true concerning the regular visits. 90 % expect an increase of veterinary service time concerning administrative tasks in the coming five years.
On third of the practices expects an expansion during the next five years. One quarter is planning to give up or sell their practices. One third of the surveyed practices anticipates a growth concerning their catchment area and 43 % reckon with more specialisation in the future. The treatment of small animals will increase in every second practice, while the holistic treatment of livestock animals will decrease and focus on selected animals in most of the practices. Topics of veterinary services will change.
Nearly every second practice expects a decrease of curative treatment and an increase of consulting, management and regular visits. 90 % anticipate an increase of administrative tasks.