Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs written question – answered at on 23 September 2025.
Neil Hudson
Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department are taking to help increase the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of vets in the public sector.
Angela Eagle
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Defra is aware of the numerous challenges facing recruitment and retention of qualified veterinary surgeons into Government roles. The Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Food Standards Agency have been looking at ways to increase recruitment into Government and Defra has been working with the vet sector at blockers and options to support recruitment and retention.
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
