Hon Chair, hon Minister, Deputy Minister and hon members, the decision to hold a debate on this Bill was an interesting one for the ANC. We would have thought that on such a straightforward matter, on which there is established government policy, we would all be of one mind regarding the necessity of such an amending Bill. Let us therefore restate the intention of the ANC-led government's policy and understand why this amending Bill is necessary.
Those in this profession know well that very specific challenges have arisen since the introduction of the Act in 1982. Critical among these challenges is the shortage of veterinarians in the country to serve the agricultural sector and the industries related to cattle farming. These have become more acute over the years and, unless we deal with the impact of the spread of disease, they could cripple parts of our meat export market and place jobs at risk.
Coupled to this reality is the bad practice that has become established across many disciplines of study. This is that the state allocates a considerable amount of money to both training colleges and universities to invest in the human capacity of our country. However, upon completion of their studies, graduates join the line of qualified individuals emigrating. This has impacted on the rate of newly qualified veterinarians going overseas and a loss of skills that we cannot afford to continue.
In addition, the urbanisation drift that the National Development Plan identifies and predicts will have serious consequences in the future and has already impacted on the profession. The flow towards and skewed distribution of available veterinarians in favour of more urbanised areas, unless addressed, will and has already had a negative impact on the farming sector.
In the endeavour to correct this and ensure a more equitable distribution of veterinary services throughout South Africa, and to respond to these challenges, the amending Bill has three main thrusts: Firstly, the introduction of a compulsory community service programme in order to improve the delivery of veterinary services through regulation; secondly, to manage the migration of newly qualified professionals; and lastly, to address the skewed distribution of registered professionals.
As part of our public submissions process, we were encouraged that the SA Veterinary Association fully supported all the intended amendments to the Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Professions Act. Indeed, they expressed eagerness regarding the intended amendments relating to compulsory community service. Their members are ready to support the implementation of compulsory community service and offered to put their expertise, mentoring abilities and facilities at the disposal of government. We welcome this positive spirit. What will be important is the planning of all this, and we have every confidence that good planning will be the case.
The appointment of an inspector, and the defining the related duties of such an inspector, is also a matter that has become a necessity. We therefore welcome the support shown for this in our public process. We shall therefore be in a position not only to investigate any possible contravention of all Acts by members of the professions but also to investigate the contravention of the Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Professions Act by lay persons and professionals who are not registered with the SA Veterinary Council. The speedy implementation of this, once the Bill is enacted, is very necessary.
The logic of the amending Bill is that it also seeks to address matters that have developed over the past 30 years since the principal Act was passed, among others the establishment of an appeal committee; providing for registered foreign veterinarians to continue practising by attaining either citizenship or permanent residency; and the vitally critical area of human resource development for continuing professional development. This is an area that we must ensure remains at the cutting edge of scientific development.
In addition, ensuring a professional and labour relations-compliant approach to matters of the suspension of registered persons, the termination of such suspensions and the appointment and powers of inspection officers are all matters that can only enhance the functioning of the veterinary professions.
Any concern on the implementation and operation of the amending Bill - security, accommodation, salaries and the availability of infrastructure - are matters that can be dealt with operationally, and a practice has been established to deal with these.
It is for these reasons that the ANC supports the Bill. I don't think that is acceptable for the hon members on the other side to abuse this platform by attacking the Minister instead of focusing on the Bill. They should seek another platform to do that. [Applause.]