provincial vet services

May 11 2026

N.B. farmers alliance ‘deeply dissatisfied’ with consultation on veterinary service changes

Katherine Del Salto News Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick, department of agriculture, Minister Pat Finnigan, provincial vet services

A group representing New Brunswick livestock farmers says it is “deeply dissatisfied” with how the provincial government consulted it on plans to end provincial veterinary services.

Following a May 1 meeting with Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Pat Finnigan and Premier Susan Holt, the Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick said it did not receive clear or transparent reasoning for the decision to phase out the services.

In a news release on May 6, the alliance said the department failed to seek “meaningful input” from its veterinary response committee and raised concerns about a feasibility study being conducted to determine the future of the services by a third party rather than through an internal review. It said the findings should be shared transparently with the committee and other stakeholders.

Since March, the alliance has called on the province to reverse its decision to phase out provincial veterinary and laboratory services and transition them to the private sector. The move was announced in the Holt government’s budget.

In a March 18 statement, Finnigan said New Brunswick is one of only two provinces still operating government-funded veterinary services. The statement said 54 per cent of services go to horses, 19 per cent to hobby farms and companion animals, and 27 per cent to commercial livestock, including dairy, beef and poultry.

The department said the services are costly to taxpayers and that shifting them to the private sector would allow clinics to provide more “responsive and flexible services,” while creating a “significant” opportunity for private-sector innovation.

After the meeting, the alliance said the province agreed to extend equine services to at least March 31, 2027 — three months longer than initially announced — and described the talks as “productive,” according to a Global News report.

However, alliance president and sheep farmer Danielle Connell said the group later decided to change course after consulting with committee members and farmers in their communities.

“We feel is completely inappropriate for the department to look at the Agricultural Alliance and the veterinarians to develop the plan,” Connell said.

“This is not our mess to fix, so it’s very unfortunate to see government take such a major decision, with no plan in place, no contingency funds set aside to support the work that’s necessary.”

Connell said the government has told the alliance it has a plan, but the group has yet to see it. She warned that without one, New Brunswick could lose large-animal veterinarians to other provinces and compromise food and disease testing needed to ensure products are safe for consumption.

“There are check and balances to keep people safe,” she said. “This decision removes a lot of the check and balances and puts a lot of our safety in jeopardy.”

Connell said the alliance will not take part in proposed monthly meetings until the Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries answers its questions “honestly” and demonstrates it has a defined support plan for veterinarians transitioning to the private sector.

In an email to Acadia Broadcasting on Friday, Finnigan said he understands industry concerns and that the intent of the meetings was to provide updates and work with stakeholders to address them.

“Even though this group is withdrawing, as minister my door remains open during this transition,” he said.

The province said the transition to the private sector will take place over three years. It has outlined a three-phase plan, beginning with a feasibility study to inform future steps.

Phase two will determine the future of the provincial veterinary and foreign animal disease laboratories and will depend on maintaining services and all current accreditations, certifications and regulatory requirements.

Phase three includes ongoing support for underserved areas through a private veterinarian registry, livestock client support and monitoring to assess the program’s impact.

Connell said the alliance is not opposed to changes in the system. She said modernization would be good for the industry but said that the organization would have liked to be consulted before the province made any decisions.

“Just coming down with a fist and saying ‘this is how is going to be, it’s a done deal,’ that’s not the way to collaborate,” she said. “We need to feel like we are being actually consulted and need to feel that the department is doing the work.”

April 1 2026

Over 100 rally opposing provincial vet service cuts

Wilfred Fraser News cuts, difficult decisions, farmers, Government of New Brunswick, provincial vet services, Susan Holt

Farmers, ranchers and livestock owners gathered in front of the Legislative Assembly to protest cuts to provincial field vet services.

Cuts to these services were announced when the Holt government tabled its 2026-27 budget.

Malcolm Gilbert, a beef farmer from Burton, was one of the farmers protesting cuts in Fredericton this week. He says the government needs to take a step back and change their plans.

“I’m a farmer, so I want to see those services maintained. I am here to protest to make sure they maintain the vet services and lab services for the farmers of this province,” said Gilbert.

Burton farmer Malcolm Gilbert / Image: Wilfred Fraser

The Burton local says people might not realize that farmers pay for these services. He says he would pay more to keep it around.

“This government is looking at a very small amount of money to keep this vet service compared to what else is being spent in the 1.3-billion-dollar budget,” Gilbert stated.

In the last month, Gilbert has had vet services out to his farm several times.

“I had vet services out for a plain calf and a C-section on a cow. I would have lost both of those if it weren’t for these services … whether it’s three o’clock in the afternoon or three in the morning, the vets respond, and they come,” he said.

Gilbert says if these services are privatized, he does not believe that readiness to respond will be there.

“We also need the lab for testing and the medications that the vets bring with them. [Holt] needs to talk to us about what we can do to maintain this service,” he said.

The province plans to phase services out over the next three years by discontinuing provincial vet field services by the end of March 2027, with services for horses concluding three months prior.

Lab functions would then transfer to the private sector, which currently has 72 qualified vet clinics across New Brunswick. The Holt government says this transition would create opportunities for those private clinics to expand their business and serve more clients.

The final phase would provide ongoing support for underserved areas, according to a pamphlet supplied to the media.

Jennifer Gordon of Off Grid Acres / Image: Wilfred Fraser

Jennifer Gordon runs Off Grid Acres, a small hobby farm in Carleton County, New Brunswick. She says that everyone north of Fredericton will be left without vet services.

“Well, the amount of private vets there are is limited, so logistically, as it is right now, it’s not even possible [to privatize vet services],” said Gordon.

Gordon says provincial vet services are essential to how farms like hers operate. “They are keeping our herds healthy. [Vets] are screening and preventing diseases from spreading to the herd, but also for public safety. Without our vets, we will have no farms, period.”

New Brunswick is currently one of two provinces that still provide veterinary services as a public service.

A petition put together by those opposed to the changes now has over 31,000 signatures.