One of Tasmania's only dedicated equine veterinary hospitals may be forced to close after an unsuccessful two-year search for a new vet, leading to concerns that horses may be unable to be treated in emergencies.
The Longford Equine Clinic in the state's north has provided care for horses for almost 40 years and until recently was the only equine surgery in the state.
Veterinary surgeon Chris Cornes said no-one had expressed interest in the position after more than two years of searching.
Dr Cornes said that after two decades at the clinic he was intending to retire.
He said if a new vet or buyer for the practice cannot be found, its doors will have to close.
"I can't see there is going to be a vet that appears from out of the blue," Dr Cornes said.
"We might just have to close the door and walk away.
"These clients have provided me with a living and income, and I feel bad for them because there is no-one else specialised in this area."
The clinic is located next to the Longford Racecourse, and has cared for some of the biggest horse names in Tasmanian racing, including The Cleaner, Mystic Journey and Geegees Blackflash.
Equestrian coach Claire Walker owns eight horses, all of which are cared for at the Longford clinic, and said the prospect of it closing was "very scary".
"Having that service for us locally is very necessary. Animals are just like humans and have emergency health problems," she said.
"It will result in us not being able to care for the horses and we won't be able to seek medical advice for them, especially in emergency situations.
"I am not alone in saying that we are very, very nervous moving forward. It would be incredibly sad to see this specialised clinic go from the community."
Staff shortages across the country
Australian Veterinary Association president Bronwyn Orr said the situation in northern Tasmania was part of a veterinary staffing crisis affecting many regional and rural areas across the country.
"I'm devastated to hear that we potentially have another regional community losing access to veterinary services because of the lack of veterinarians," she said.
"In the past few months, we have had rural communities in South Australia and New South Wales lose access to their only veterinary services."
Dr Orr said a lack of access to services would result in animal health and welfare implications.
"Any delay in treatment is absolutely going to effect the clinical outcome, and it could result in prolonged suffering and potentially animals dying unnecessarily," she said.
"Unless we intervene soon, it's going to be too late for a lot of communities."
She said a shortage of housing and childcare in regional areas meant some vet graduates were reluctant to move away from metro areas.
"There are currently no government initiatives in place to try to fix this. We are just not getting traction," she said.
"We're not getting any engagement at all from the federal government on what they're planning to do to make sure that more rural communities don't lose access to their veterinary services."
A Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry spokesperson said they were committed to working collaboratively to find solutions to workforce issues faced by the sector.
"Improving this situation requires a unified approach that includes employers, employees, universities, and government," the spokesperson said.
The Australian Veterinary Association is calling for the student debts of vets who live and work in regional and rural areas to be scrapped, similar to a program already in place in New Zealand.
A Department of Education spokesperson said a review of the effectiveness of a similar program aimed at encouraging doctors and nurses to move to regional areas would take place in 2025 to determine whether it should be expanded to other professions.
