Learn with Vet Sustain and Partners

Learning Objectives:

• Summarise the key societal and planetary challenges we face
• Explain what sustainability means using a number of different definitions and perspectives
• Name and describe some of the frameworks used by businesses and institutions to define sustainability goals, metrics and outcomes
• Understand the importance of multiple outcomes, and the risks of pursuing single sustainability goals
• Describe why veterinary professionals occupy a unique role for influencing the sustainability agenda and supporting progress
• Provide practical examples of how veterinary professionals can drive change in our own operations

Learning Objectives:

• Summarise the key environmental impacts that are associated with animal agriculture
• Understand the different metrics currently used to measure carbon emissions and how the use of these metrics may present challenges
• Develop a broad overview of how and why we may wish to calculate these carbon metrics.
• Understand how farming systems may be used to pursue sustainability goals and how they may impact animal health and welfare. 
• Recognise the challenges and potential trade-offs of these systems.
• Recognise the vital role that we as veterinary professionals have to play in supporting our clients and driving policy change towards a food system that is better for people, animals and planet
• Describe the various methods to collect in vivo data on livestock emissions

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how and why livestock are housed and to be able to give examples of different livestock housing systems.
• Have a broad understanding of nutrition in housed systems and to have a working knowledge of how some of these systems may affect the environment at a production level.
• Be able to discuss the land sparing vs land sharing debate and give examples of both.
• Understand, in brief, how feeding for improved growth rates may have trade-offs in terms of animal health and welfare.
• Describe some of the challenges faced through emissions related to animal waste product disposal in housed systems and some of the potential solutions. 
• Understand some of the solutions to emissions from the livestock sector with a particular emphasis on feeding strategies. 
• Revisit the concept of efficiency vs efficacy in the way we feed our livestock and how this may relate to the environmental impact of housed animals.
• Gain the knowledge and confidence to act as advisors in the management of housed livestock in a way that minimises negative environmental outcomes as well as supporting the wellbeing of the animals under our care.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand emission production in healthy animals
• Understand the mechanism behind how various disease states contribute to emissions
• Describe how climate change promotes drug resistance
• Understand the pros and cons of selective breeding

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how grazed systems may be used to pursue sustainability goals and how they may impact animal health and welfare. 
• Recognise the challenges and potential trade-offs of these systems.
• Develop a practical understanding of some grazing systems that may be described as sustainable or regenerative, and to finish the course equipped with the knowledge required to support farmers through their transition towards more sustainable grazing practices.
• Recognise the vital role that we as veterinary professionals have to play in supporting our clients and driving policy change towards a food system that is better for people, animals and planet

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the basic principles of why people behave as they do. 
• Be able to explain some of the concepts behind behavioural change models and understand how they might be applied in different contexts. 
• Understand how veterinary professionals may act as “change makers”. 
• Be able to demonstrate how the principles of behavioural change may be applied in an on-farm situation. 
• Summarise how “sustainable” and “regenerative” may be defined in the context of a veterinary business.
• Recognise the opportunities for integration of regenerative principles within a veterinary business model.

The course is aimed at veterinarians and those working in vet-led businesses, and whilst there are no specific requirements, all students are expected to have undertaken an undergraduate degree, technical qualification as a paraprofessional, or a relevant diploma. If you are unsure please contact us before you enrol on the course.

The course has been developed to provide flexible online learning for busy farm veterinary professionals, equivalent to 15 hours of CPD. Our online learning platform brings learning to life with interactive graphics and video, alongside quizzes and deep dives to consolidate learning. 

We also offer bespoke tailored training based on the course to organisations and businesses, which can include (but not limited to) facilitated online Zoom tutorials, presentations and student assignments. 

In person training courses are also available, which are delivered over 2 days. We will be hosting our own sessions with accomodation and meals provided, or if you are an organisation interested in providing this for your team, we can also come to you. 

Please contact us [email protected] if you are interested in one of our bespoke training courses for your organisation. 

The full price of the course will be £495 +VAT per student. Overseas (non-UK) businesses may be eligible for a non-VAT price of £495 please contact us for more information.

We expect each module to take between 2 and 3 hours to complete over the course of 1-3 months (there are 6 modules = up to 18 hours). In addition there are a number of deep dives for those interested in a particular area or wishing to expand their knowledge further. We highly recommend diarising regular study sessions to keep progressing through the course content.

The course is entirely self-directed learning and the course learning platform is very self-explanatory. However the VetSalus team are always here to help if you need any assistance or technical support

During the course there will be tasks and quick quizzes to solidify learning throughout the course. A pass rate of 80% across the course will be deemed to be a successful pass mark.