Development partners unite to strengthen veterinary education and livestock sector in Moldova
Representatives from key development organizations, including the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAIA), the Austrian Agricultural Cluster, the Austrian Development Agency, the World Bank, and the EU Delegation in Chisinau recently gathered at Brătușeni College of Veterinary Medicine and Agrarian Economics to discuss strategies for enhancing Moldova’s livestock sector. The focus was on addressing the skills development needs, technical education, and lifelong learning in the field.
The Brătușeni College of Veterinary Medicine and Agrarian Economics is the only such institution in the Republic of Moldova. It annually forms about 200 students in areas such as veterinary medicine, food safety, merchandising, business planning and management and more. The institution is working hard to achieve a specific dream that teachers and thousands of graduates live – the rehabilitation of the institution’s teaching farm. Currently, the few animals living on the farm are maintained from the enthusiasm of students and pedagogues. The college envisions a new, modernized milk farm that would not only improve education for its students but also serve as a training hub for local farmers in northern Moldova.
The leadership at Brătușeni College is determined to make the farm a cornerstone of technical training in animal husbandry. They aim to create a comprehensive training model that bridges theory and practice, starting with the initial education of young specialists and extending to consultancy services and continuous training programs for veterinarians and farmers throughout the region.
In this respect, the project team behind the “Improving Compliance with Standards by Increasing National Residue Monitoring Capacities” program has offered to facilitate a study visit to Austria for the college’s management team. The visit will provide an opportunity to explore best practices in livestock education at similar institutions in Austria, in collaboration with the Austrian Agricultural Cluster, which is an association of technical organizations, businesses, and educational institutions.
Answering the questions of the curious students, Herman Wieser, director of the Austrian Agricultural Cluster, gave a brief incursion into the organisation of the Austrian livestock system, which counts around 54 thousand cattle farms and around 1,6 mln cattle, of which more than half a million are dairy cows. Notably, around 95% of Austria’s dairy cattle are raised on small family farms, with an average of 28 cattle per farm. “In each region of the country there are schools with a zootechnical profile. So that every young farmer, even those raising animals for domestic consumption, has at least 3 years of studies in zootechnical, agricultural or veterinary medicine. Veterinary medicine is a profession of the future in which it is worth investing “, said Herman Wieser.
Valentin Roșca, Head of Policy in the Livestock Sector, MAIA, also mentioned: “Over the last 4-5 years, the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry to support the livestock sector have become considerable. But we do not yet have a sufficient pace of development. One of the main reasons is that we do not have enough skilled specialists in the sector. Since 2022, a very important condition for obtaining State subsidies has been put in place. Every farmer must hold a university degree or a technical professional in the field of animal husbandry or veterinary medicine. This is precisely why the role of your College is so important”.
Ilona Gruenewald, Programme Manager for Agriculture and Rural Development, Food Safety, EU Delegation to the Republic of Moldova, reiterated the EU’s support to the livestock development in the Republic of Moldova, the potential of strategic partnership with European institutions and access to modern and competitive technologies, while recalling the that the most suitable formula is defined locally: “We are here to meet and listen to the College management, teachers and students, visit the school facilities and a milk farm, to better understand the challenges and solutions for the support we can offer. Together with partners, we can create synergies and realize better projects than we could do individually. People in the sector, including young professionals, are making the way to change and the sector to progress. We encourage the college team to take the lead and proactively steer the dialogue with development partners and the business sector, to match their educational offer with the skills and labor market needs and identify the most suitable farm model and technologies, which will be attractive to both young professionals and the region. We believe the college can serve as a focal point to boost the development of the livestock sector for the whole country”.
The study visit was organized by the EU-UNIDOproject team “Improving compliance with standards by increasing national capacities for residue monitoring” as part of its efforts to support institutions within the value chains of meat, poultry, and milk products. This initiative is an important step in fostering collaboration between local institutions and international partners to enhance the technical capabilities and long-term sustainability of Moldova’s agricultural sector.
