The Lithuanian Veterinary Association (LVA) is one of the oldest public organizations in Lithuania and is celebrating its 90th anniversary. It is a voluntary non-profit organisation which connects individuals and legal entities. The Association conducts various important tasks such as continuing education, training and improvements within the veterinary profession.
The LVA was founded in Kaunas (interwar capital of Lithuania at that time) on June17th, 1923 and later restored its activities in 1989. The LVA was established as a professional, non-political, organisation with the purpose to unite veterinarians and veterinary scientists in investigating and combating animal diseases, as well as organising the veterinary services in the newly established and independent country. The organisation paid a great deal of attention in improving working conditions for veterinarians and ensuring high ethical standards of their veterinary activities.
During the period of 1927-1939 the Association regularly held annual membership meetings. During these meetings, lectures on veterinary science were presented as well as useful exchanges of best practises, demonstrations of modern instruments and equipment, methods of animal treatment and countless fruitful discussions were held.
In 1938, the LVA participated in the International Veterinary Congress held in Zurich, Switzerland. The organisation began collecting various Lithuanian veterinary publications and established its own library. During World War II, a large part of Lithuanian veterinarians and veterinary students of the Veterinary Academy went abroad. Soon after the war, in1946, many re-grouped in Germany where the LVA was re-founded as the Society of Lithuanian Veterinarians in Exile.
Today, the LVA structure is comprised of three primary divisions: general practice, food inspection and state veterinarians. There is close co-operation with the State Food and Veterinary Service of the Republic of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Small Animal Veterinary Association and Veterinary Pharmaceutical Association. Currently, approximately half of the country’s veterinarians and food control specialists are members of the LVA.
The LVA is a member of the World Veterinary Association and the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe and the Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture. We enjoy an intensive and wide range co-operation with similar organizations in other countries such as Poland, France, Germany, Latvia, Estonia and Ukraine.
At present, the LVA is performing a wide range of activities including various trainings for veterinarians, farmers, food specialists, etc. The LVA organises various cultural and sporting events, tournaments (i.e. for the best private veterinarian), congresses, etc. The organisation remains actively involved and is committed to analysing and improving legislation which concerns the life and work of Lithuania’s veterinarians.
