An Introduction to Veterinary Sustainability
Níamh Ní Bhroin MVB MRCVS CertAVP(SAM) PgCertVPS, a small animal vet and the chairperson of the Veterinary Sustainability Network Ireland, discusses what sustainability means in relation to the veterinary industry in Ireland.
Introduction
Sustainability can be defined as meeting “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”(Swanson et al., 2013). It is a topic that is being increasingly discussed and promoted in the media and corporate world. To explain further what sustainability covers, the Three Ps are commonly used – People, Planet and Profit.
(VSNI, 2024).
Under the People heading, personal wellbeing, health, equality and diversity are included. Planet includes the changing climate, biodiversity, pollution and waste. Profit involves protecting our livelihoods, our communities and our heritage.
One area that is very topical is, of course, climate change, resulting from an increase in greenhouse gas emissions due to human population expansion over the past 100 years. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (e.g., fossil fuels, cement production), F-gases (e.g., anaesthestic gases, refrigerants), nitrous oxide (e.g., fossil fuels, agriculture) and methane (e.g., agricultural emissions, food waste). The collective effect of these gases is usually expressed in carbon equivalents. These gases trap heat in the atmosphere, resulting in an overall increase in global temperatures and ocean acidification.
The Climate Action Plan (Department of the Environment, 2023) outlines how there have been observable increases in both the sea levels in Ireland and temperatures in Ireland since the 1990s. 15 of the top 20 warmest years in Ireland have occurred since 1990. These changes are projected to continue an upward trend, bringing with them extremes in rainfall and flooding, increases in sea levels, increased storm events and increased risk of drought in certain areas.
Is there any reason to hope?
It is a difficult area in which to create change, given it requires a multi-disciplinary approach, and the effects of changes made are not evident immediately. However, since climate change has been recognised as a rapidly emerging issue, progress has been made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For example, 40% of the Republic of Ireland’s energy came from renewable sources in 2023 (EirGrid, 2024) with continually developing plans to improve this. The number of electric vehicles in Ireland as a proportion of newly registered vehicles has increased from 0.5% in 2015 to 27.6% in 2023 (McLoughlin, 2024).
It may feel like it is too large a problem for an individual’s actions to make a difference. However, individual actions are cumulative and the diagram below from Lee et al. (2021) demonstrates how new ideas or processes are taken up in society over time. During the initial period, it may feel like there are very few people who believe in your idea, but over time, the people partaking in this action will increase exponentially until a majority is reached. In other words, change happens from individual actions eventually influencing the majority.
How does the veterinary profession come into this?
Veterinarians have a lot of potential to influence change in this area, given that we are at the centre of One Health, advocating for animal, planetary and human health. This includes improving and maintaining the human-animal bond for pet owners, advising farmers on sustainable agriculture, monitoring for disease outbreaks and advocating for good antimicrobial stewardship. We are also seen as a trusted profession by the public. The World Veterinary Organization issued a statement in 2020 (WVA, 2020) where they state that veterinarians “have a responsibility to protect ecosystem health and demand action to minimize climate change” (World Veterinary Organisation, 2020). Based on the above, it is feasible to say that veterinary practices and professionals are in an excellent position to create a meaningful change in this area.
We don’t have a figure for the impact of the Irish veterinary sector on emissions, but it is estimated that the healthcare industry is a significant producer of greenhouse gases, producing approximately 4.6% of global emissions (Health Care Without Harm, 2024). From this data, it is reasonable to suggest that the veterinary industry would also be a significant contributor to GHG emissions. Therefore, tackling our emissions as an industry would help reduce emissions overall. Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions per capita in 2020 was one of the highest in Europe (Central Statistics Office, 2022) and the Climate Action Plan (Department of the Environment, 2023) sets a target to reduce the emissions of Irish businesses by 35% by 2030. This directly involves veterinary businesses as stakeholders.
What can we do?
Focusing on individual impact
We each need to take responsibility for our impact on the earth and each other. The average carbon footprint of an individual in Ireland was 10.4tCO2eq in 2023. This is a 10% reduction from our levels in 2005, with a target of reducing our overall emissions to 42% below the 2005 levels by 2030 (McLoughlin, 2024).
To start on your own emission reduction journey, the following steps are a good place to start:
· Determine your own carbon footprint (Giki Zero at https://zero.giki.earth/ and WWF at https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/) provide carbon footprint calculators which are free to use ),
· Determine the areas where your carbon footprint is largest (e.g., travel, energy consumption, dietary),
· Set achievable and measurable goals in each of these areas to reduce these figures (e.g., travel to work once weekly using public transport instead of your own vehicle).
The 5 Rs of sustainability can be used when developing these goals. They are, in hierarchal order:
1. Refuse e.g., refusing single-use containers,
2. Reduce e.g., reducing household energy consumption by switching to LED lightbulbs,
3. Reuse e.g., invest in a reusable water bottle instead of buying single-use bottled water,
4. Repurpose e.g., using bubble wrap for patient heat retention intra-operatively,
5. Recycle e.g., milk carton recycling.
Focusing on practice impact
There are many areas that can be improved upon in our veterinary practices, including the carbon footprint of the practice, the resources used by the business, how the practice is prescribing and disposing of medications, and how the practice is affecting biodiversity. Again, a good place to start improving your carbon footprint would be to determine your current footprint, perform an audit of your company (by nominating a green champion or using an external service) and creating an action plan on how to reduce your negative impact on these areas.
Examples of these might include:
· Carbon footprint reduction –
o Improving the building insulation,
o Switching to a more efficient heating system (e.g., from oil-based to a heat pump system),
o Switch to a renewable energy provider,
o Install solar panels on the business premises.
· Resource use –
o Install low-flow tap systems,
o Print on both sides of paper,
o Incorporate low-flow anaesthesia into your practice (by using a combination of a tailored analgesia plans and capnography for small animal surgeries),
o Using alcohol-based sterilising material.
· Responsible medicine usage:
o Prescribe the correct medication for the correct diagnosis,
o Use the correct dose,
o Only prescribe and dispense for the duration required,
o Inform owners on how to dispose of the medication correctly,
o Inform owners on how to apply the medication correctly and any precautions to take doing so (e.g., no swimming after the application of topical parasiticides),
o Adhere to antimicrobial prescribing guidelines such as PROTECT ME (BSAVA/SAMSoc, 2024).
· Biodiversity:
o Plant a biodiversity corner or plant box in your practice. See the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan (https://pollinators.ie/) for inspiration. Some pollinator-friendly plants include crocus, crab apple trees, Irish ivy and ox-eye daisy.
o Go pesticide-free in your practice garden,
o Plant a pocket forest if the space is available (see https://www.pocketforests.ie/),
o Hang bird feeders and put up a bird box (see https://birdwatchireland.ie/ for guidance).
Focusing on community impact
A veterinary practice’s climate shadow (the influence one can have outside of the direct changes you make) can have a very significant impact on society, from demonstrating that we care about our world to our clients which may then inspire them to change, to educating and collaborating with our farm animal clients to improve their herd health. Some ways to promote sustainable veterinary in this area are:
· Educate clients on safe disposal of medications,
· Have a sustainability board in your reception, elaborating on some of your sustainability journey stories so clients can take inspiration from it,
· Educate your team on sustainability so they can answer questions from clients on this topic (e.g., having your team becoming carbon literate),
· Discuss sustainability with suppliers (e.g., waste-free packaging options from pharmaceutical suppliers),
· Promote a herd-health approach on farms to improve welfare and performance.
Key take aways
The veterinary profession in Ireland is in a powerful position to create a greener and more sustainable future for Ireland. We have a wide sphere of influence and are seen as trusted members of society. To begin this journey in your practice, a good place to start would be to initiate a conversation with your colleagues and to engage with our community, Veterinary Sustainability Network Ireland. We hope that through engagement and education, we will begin to see a shift in our industry towards a more sustainable future for all.
References
Central Statistics Office (2022) Sustainable Development Goal 13. Available at: https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-sdg13/irelandsunsdgs-goal13climateaction2021/ (Accessed: 7 January 2025).
Department of the Environment, C. and C. (2023) CLIMATE ACTION PLAN 2023 CAP23. Available at: https://assets.gov.ie/270956/94a5673c-163c-476a-921f-7399cdf3c8f5.pdf (Accessed: 7 January 2025).
EirGrid (2024) Fuel Mix 2023 Pie Chart. Available at: https://cms.eirgrid.ie/sites/default/files/publications/Fuel-Mix-2023-Updated-July-2024.png (Accessed: 18 January 2025).
Health Care Without Harm (2024) Climate Change. Available at: https://europe.noharm.org/climate-change (Accessed: 7 January 2025).
Lee, J. et al. (2021) ‘Crossing the Innovation Chasm: Identifying Facilitators and Barriers to Early Adoption of the Global Health Starter Kit Curriculum’, Annals of Global Health, 87(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.3356.
McLoughlin, E. (2024) ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS Quarter 2 2024 – 07 June, Houses of the Oireachtas. Available at: https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/libraryResearch/2024/2024-06-07_l-rs-infographic-environmental-indicators-quarter-2-2024_en.pdf (Accessed: 18 January 2025).
BSAVA/SAMSoc (2024) ‘PROTECT ME’, in BSAVA/SAMSoc Guide to Responsible Use of Antibiotics: PROTECT ME (2024). British Small Animal Veterinary Association. Available at: https://doi.org/10.22233/9781913859312.4_1.
Swanson, K.S. et al. (2013) ‘Nutritional Sustainability of Pet Foods’, Advances in Nutrition, 4(2), pp. 141–150. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3945/an.112.003335.
World Veterinary Organisation (2020) WVA Position on the Global Climate Change Emergency. Available at: https://worldvet.org/uploads/news/docs/wva_position_on_the_global_climate_change_emergency.pdf (Accessed: 7 January 2025).
