Agriculture Minister promises quick action on policy to increase numbers of rural vets.

Agriculture Minister David Carter toured the Institute of Veterinary Animal and Biomedical Sciences during a visit to the University's Manawatu campus.

At the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Mr Carter said a bonding policy for rural veterinarians would be one of the first introduced by the new National-led Government and was in the final stages of the Cabinet approval process.

It would involve payments of a "significant annual amount" to vets who work in rural areas identified as having a shortage, either to repay their students loans or in cash if they had no loan, he says.

The Government is counting on Massey, which has New Zealand's only vet school, to increase the number of graduates. Institute head Professor Grant Guilford says with Government support the five-year Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree could have an extra 45 students in each year, 30 domestic and 15 international students. That would mean an increase of 20-30 staff to maintain staff student ratios.

Caption: Agriculture Minister David Carter (right) with Massey's Professor Grant Guilford, fifth-year vet student Sophie Bogers and Patch, a blue heeler-border collie cross from one of the University farms. Patch was at the Vet Teaching Hospital for a vaccination.