Vets in Hungary, Slovakia and Lithuania – the 17th, 18th and 23rd European economies respectively – earn more than their Spanish counterparts. The figures come from a survey carried out by the Federation of European Veterinarians (FVE), which shows that the median salary of the 266 voluntary participants amounts to around €26,400 per year.
These are, however, far more optimistic figures than those set out in the collective agreement covering these workers in Spain. For positions such as laboratory technician, the agreement provides for pay of just €19,403 a year, not including supplements.
In addition, 60 per cent of Spanish veterinarians who have moved to other countries say they did so to improve their working conditions, according to the study, whose respondents report working around eight hours of overtime a month, a little more than two percentage points above the European Union average.
Rural Spain struggles with a shortage of veterinarians
The working conditions of these professionals could help explain part of the picture for this sector in rural areas. During a working meeting held in Rovaniemi, Finland, as part of the FVE General Assembly, the Spanish Veterinary Organisation (OCV) presented a paper titled 'The Spanish challenge: what works and what fails in rural practice', detailing the consequences of this structural shortfall.
