Study Tour - Privatisation of Veterinary Services
Country: Netherlands
VetEffecT organised a study tour for a week in the Netherlands for a delegation
of the State Service for Management of Agricultural Projects and Credits under
the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in the course of the
Agricultural Competitiveness Improvement Project (ACIP), jointly funded by the
Republic of Azerbaijan and International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development.
Azerbaijan is developing its animal health sector and is preparing to privatise the veterinary sector.
With support of the Worldbank, VetEffecT performed a feasibility project to prepare for
privatisation. Currently about 3000 veterinarians are employed by the state. Study tours to Latvia,
where privatisation of veterinary sector has been achieved after entering the EU, and in the
Netherlands, where privatisation of the veterinary sector is operational since the start of the
veterinary profession, should help to identify the key succes and failure factors for succesful
privatisation. VetEffecT arranged the study visit in the Netherlands.
The purpose of this study tour was:
1. exchange of experience in matters of organisation of private veterinary services between Azerbaijan veterinary authorities, Worldbank representatives with Dutch stakeholders;2. to understand how private veterinary practices have developed in the Netherlands;3. how learn the Dutch authorities contract private veterinarians for state programmes;4. to understand key issues in legislation and contracting;5. to learn how the veterinary education in the Netherlands is organized;6. to understand quality requirements for private vets to offer services to farmers.
The programme consisted of meetings with representatives of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, veterinary wholesaler, dairy and pig farms, veterinary practice, the Animal Identification & Registration office of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, a Slaughter House, the KNMvD (Royal Netherlands Veterinary Association) and the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). At the end of the study tour the participants obtained good understanding of the privatization of veterinary services in a country that is fully driven by the international agromarkets.
