“Veterinarians’ Day” is an important event organized by the Taiwan Veterinary Medical Association, and which is held, in turn, in various counties and cities around Taiwan every year. With around 1,000 participants taking part, the 52nd Veterinarians’ Day Celebration was held on January 6th (2024) at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) in southern Taiwan, coinciding with the 100th anniversary since the founding the school. The Ping Tung Veterinary Medical Association hosted this year’s event.
The conference was attended by such VIPs as Vice Minister Wen-Jane Tu of the Ministry of Agriculture, President Chin-Lung Chang of NPUST, President David Tan of the Taiwan Veterinary Medical Association, President Kun-Hui Lin of the Ping Tung Veterinary Medical Association, President Isao Kurauchi of the Federation of Asian Veterinary Associations, and President Juhyung Hur of the Korean Veterinary Medical Association.
During the conference an award for “Special Contributions to Veterinary Medicine in Taiwan” was presented to Dr. Chun Tsai Lin, who joined the Institute of Animal Epidemic Serum Production (the predecessor of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Veterinary Research Institute) in 1943 and made fundamental contributions to the research and development of swine fever vaccines. He continually dedicated himself to the mission of preventing infectious animal diseases during his nearly 50 years of public service, often saying “if I can see with my own eyes that swine flu in Taiwan has been completely eradicated in my lifetime, that will be enough!”
Dr. Lin, was able to get what he hoped for, as Vice Minister Wen-Jane Tu of the Ministry of Agriculture noted in her speech: “at this grand event, I would like to express my special thanks to veterinarians for the three areas of their expertise. First, for keeping African swine fever at bay and eradicating foot-and-mouth disease since 2018; and also quickly eliminating bovine nodular rash and fending off goatpox and traditional swine so that Taiwan’s livestock industry could flourish. Secondly, veterinarians not only take care of our furry friends and families at home, but also the black bears, pangolins and other protected animals in the wild. And thirdly, they are working together for One Health. 60% human diseases come from animals, 75% of emerging infectious diseases also come from animals, and 80% of the pathogens which cause biosecurity threats around the world come from animals. The contributions of veterinarians is very important; so today, on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, I would like to thank all the veterinarians present on this special day.”
NPUST President Chin-Lung Chang expressed his gratitude to veterinarians in his speech while pointing out that “this year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, and our school of veterinary medicine has been here since the beginning. Over the past century, countless of outstanding veterinarians have been trained at this university and have made significant contributions to the country and society. In the future, NPUST will continue in its commitment to cultivating outstanding professional talents in the field.”
