House Chairperson, this Bill supports government in the implementation of compulsory community service through public-private partnerships. According to the Department of Health, only 215 of the 2 400 trained South African vets were working for the state, and very few of them were operating in rural areas. The introduction of compulsory community service aims to address the lack of state veterinary workers, particularly in rural areas.
This Bill intends to address the skewed distribution of veterinary professionals, notably in rural provinces, which remains a key challenge for South African agriculture. Rural provinces require access to a range of veterinary services to support livestock production the and livestock trade. [Interjections.]