Rural veterinarians in Australia are bearing the brunt of treating animals during extreme weather events, intensifying an existing workforce crisis as natural disasters become more frequent and severe.
Describing the aftermath of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which struck south-west Queensland in March, veterinarian Dr Stacey Rae said the scene was "horrific". Helicoptering over farmland, she saw scores of livestock scattered across flooded plains, many dead. Animals that survived became stuck in thick sludge and slowly succumbed to starvation, exposure and illness. Because the rain arrived just before shearing time, sheep still carried full fleeces, making the impact "tenfold" worse. Rae estimated the final death toll could reach hundreds of thousands, though it cannot be confirmed until surviving sheep are shorn and cattle mustered.
Heavy rainfall also hit New South Wales in May, flooding the Hunter region and mid-north coast, forcing farmers to bury dead stock. Rae voiced concern for farmers' mental health, noting that "it's these months where reality sets in, mental health issues really come to the top." Vets themselves face complex challenges, with natural disasters increasingly exhausting those in rural practice. The Australian Veterinary Association set up a hotline in March to offer advice to flood-affected graziers and vets in Queensland, keeping it open until early June due to demand. Initially focused on urgent trauma and providing medicines, the hotline later handled emerging issues such as sandfly plagues, plant toxicity, chronic disease, viruses and bacterial infections.
Dr Jeannet Kessels, a Queensland vet and founder of Vets for Climate Action, said the role of vets in regional Australia extends beyond being a "small animal wizard". She described breaking down in tears with clients during euthanasia, and noted that "vets carry on, even while their own clinics are under water." In March, Vets for Climate Action hosted an event in Canberra urging formal recognition of the climate crisis's impact on animal welfare. Dr Helen Scott-Orr, former NSW chief veterinary officer, said extreme weather events have "massive economic, animal and vet welfare effects", with infections and insect-borne illnesses flourishing. She also recalled that paralysis ticks were once unheard of south of Sydney Harbour, but are now found as far south as Gippsland, Victoria.
The workforce crisis is stark. A 2025 report by Jobs and Skills Australia found shortages in every state, particularly in large animal and rural practice. Regional vet jobs are harder to fill, with 44% remaining open for more than a year compared with 28% in metropolitan areas. Vets suffer high emotional strain, moral conflicts, chronic underpayment and elevated suicide rates, with 42% in remote areas working over 50 hours a week. Former Queensland CVO Dr Ron Glanville, one of 33 former officials lobbying for stronger climate action, warned that climate-related disease is spreading: Japanese encephalitis virus, once limited to the Top End, has now caused outbreaks as far south as South Australia.
