Sustainability
As veterinarians, we are at the heart of the intersection between human health, animal health, and the world around us—also known as One Health. With knowledge comes a responsibility to manage it and put it into practice in one of the greatest challenges of our time: a sustainable world with enough resources for all of us, without compromising the needs of future generations. Vestjyske Dyrlæger works purposefully with 5 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals set in 2017.
More specifically, we have identified focus areas for our own company:
Carbon footprint
- Since 2020, we have worked purposefully to reduce our carbon footprint.
- From 2020 to 2024, we carried out energy renovations of our building, including switching to solar panels, replacing the old oil boiler with an air-to-water heat pump, and adding roof insulation.
- Over the coming years, we will gradually replace our practice vehicles with hybrid vehicles instead of diesel.
In the clinic
At the clinic, we use low-flow anaesthesia to reduce the use of anaesthetic gas during operations.
We sort waste and replace single-use equipment with reusable equipment where it makes sense, e.g., maternity gowns.
We review purchasing and delivery terms with our suppliers to optimise transport to and from the business.
Mental health and inspiring work
- Inspiring and developmental work for all employees, with a plan for personal development.
- Workplace well-being workshops for employees.
- A strong sense of social cohesion.
- A good balance between work and private life.
Where we make the greatest difference is not only within our own organisation, but also as advisers to the many animal owners and herds we visit. Agriculture is part of the key to solving many of the challenges we face. We must be able to supply 10 billion people with food using only a very small share of the Earth’s land area. And we must do so in a way that does not drain the planet’s resources. Danish farmers are already well advanced in this development—we produce good, nutritious food for many people in a sensible way, but we must become even better. And as animal owners, we must as well.
Some of the most important focus areas are:
- High animal welfare
- Minimise the incidence of disease
- Eradicate infectious diseases, e.g., Salmonella Dublin
- Reduce methane emissions (already in the cow) and through collecting slurry for biogas
- Use antibiotics responsibly and work purposefully to reduce consumption
- Use antiparasitic medicines responsibly and only following a specific diagnosis
These are many major agendas that we cannot achieve on our own. We are members of Dyrlæger & Ko, which works purposefully with advisory tools, reports, and training for farmers and veterinarians specifically within animal welfare, antibiotic use, and sustainability.
Our selected goals
