A bill to provide incentive grants to large-animal veterinarians cleared a state Senate subcommittee Thursday with unanimous support.
Sen. Travis Hackworth, R-Tazewell County, sponsored SB 921. It would create a program by July 1, 2026, to give grants to up to four large-animal veterinarians each year in parts of Virginia identified by Virginia’s state veterinarian as having a shortage of such professionals.
A large-animal veterinarian works with cattle, sheep, goats and other livestock, while a companion-animal veterinarian works with dogs, cats and other pets.
Hackworth cited figures showing that in 2023 the U.S. had 68,400 companion-animal veterinarians but only slightly more than 8,100 veterinarians working in large-animal practice or mixed practice.
A large-animal veterinarian’s starting annual salary is typically $30,000 to $50,000 lower than that of a companion-animal veterinarian, he said.
“We need more animal vets, large-animal vets,” Hackworth told a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources.
Hackworth said Sen. Dave Marsden, D-Fairfax County, is backing a $450,000 state budget amendment to support the program. If that amendment doesn’t go through, the bill still would establish the program.
The bill would also require Virginia’s state veterinarian to submit a report to the General Assembly by July 1, 2030, describing the effectiveness of the incentive grants.
Martha Moore of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation told the subcommittee that the program could help veterinarians with student loans and other expenses.
“This is a nationwide problem, and 22 other states have these similar type incentive programs,” Moore said.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly 240 regions across the country, including some in Central and Southwest Virginia, have a shortage of food-animal veterinarians.
Sen. Angelia Williams Graves, D-Norfolk, said healthy livestock are necessary for the food supply.
She noted that the distance between a farmer and an available veterinarian could mean the difference between life and death for an animal in need of care.
“Thank you so much for bringing this, and as someone who eats beef, I hope we get this passed,” she said.
With the subcommittee’s 5-0 favorable vote, the bill heads to the full agriculture committee for consideration.
