New Brunswick’s government will push its phase-out of provincial equine veterinary services three months later than originally planned to March 31, 2027.
That means all provincial veterinary services will end on the same day instead of veterinary services for horses stopping earlier in December 2026.
The news comes after a meeting between a committee of livestock representatives and the provincial Agriculture Minister Pat Finnigan and Premier Susan Holt.
“That’s wonderful news, that’s probably one of the best things that came out of the meeting and everyone was very, very pleased to hear that,” said Danielle Connell, the president of the Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick.
During the unveiling of the provincial budget in March, New Brunswick’s Liberal government announced it would phase out provincial veterinary and veterinary laboratory services over three years. The announcement sparked backlash and a protest from industry members and supporters.
But on Tuesday, both Connell and the minister called the conversation a “productive” meeting.
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“Very productive, great conversation, it’s a wonderful committee that we’ve put together of superstars of the livestock industry, and all the right people from the Department of Agriculture were in the room,” Connell said.
Meanwhile, Finnigan said, “Everybody’s concerned. Am I going to have vet coverage six months, two years down the road? And we all have the same goal, we want to have as much vet coverage as we can.”
Representatives of 12 agricultural groups represented in an Agricultural Alliance-led response committee are set to meet with the province on a monthly basis, as the rollout continues.
“The deadline is fast approaching and we’ve got a lot of work to do to have all the right things in place so it works smoothly. I think we have the right people at the table,” Connell said.
But for Dr. Mary Ellen Themens, the registrar of the New Brunswick Medical Veterinary Association, many questions remain unanswered, such as whether there will be enough vets for livestock once the phase-out is complete.
“It’s early days to see just how far the commodity groups and the government can come to a consensus as to the bottom line — we need service in the field,” she said.
But Finnigan said the province is committed to supporting vets and will implement a system to assist vets, specifically those in remote areas.
“Will there be a perfect system? I doubt it. I don’t know of any perfect system across the country where it’s mostly private vets,” he said.
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