Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Vets' group welcomes expanded bond scheme

Updated at 1:24 pm on 15 February 2010

The veterinary association is hoping an expanded Government bonding scheme will help to keep more young vets in hard-to-staff rural practices after they graduate.

The scheme, launched last year, aimed to encourage newly qualified vets to stay in an eligible practice by providing a taxable payment of $11,000 for every year they worked in a practice, for up to five years.

In its first year, 20 new vets signed up to the bonding scheme, which at that time was restricted to practices in six specific rural areas suffering from a chronic shortage of vets.

Agriculture Minister David Carter has since expanded the plan to include any practice that treats production animals such as dairy and beef cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry.

Veterinary Association president Richard Wild says that will please practices outside the initial zones, who had felt at a unfair disadvantage when competing for graduates.

Massey University's veterinary school has also welcomed the changes.

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