Tackling Farming's Lack of Diversity
How farm vet Navaratnam Partheeban is breaking down barriers
Navaratnam Partheeban - known as Theeb – is one of just five persons of colour in the UK working as a farmyard vet. From an early age he knew this was the career he wanted to pursue, having spent a working holiday with an uncle who was an inner city vet.
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‘I thought I wanted to work with small animals,’ says Theeb, ‘but then as part of my vet’s training at Edinburgh University, I experienced working with dairy and beef herds and I knew that was where I wanted to be.’
Despite entering a working environment where ‘no-one looked like me’, Theeb has thrived in the world of farmyard veterinary practice. He loves the challenge of working with the large animals and is working with farmer clients to develop health care plans and good herd management strategies.
So why so few vets from ethnically diverse backgrounds?
‘The majority of trainee vets come from white, private school backgrounds. They are often from a farming background, and farming is the least diverse sector in the UK. It is tough to break into that world,’ says Theeb.
To break down the barriers, Theeb is an advocate of ‘entering a space in which you are not comfortable.’ Whether that is the farming community opening its collective mind and learning more about the culture of other ethnicities or whether it is people from a non-farming background taking the plunge and entering the world of agriculture.
At a time where agriculture is developing apace in terms of technology, innovation and science, there is a wealth of talent that is currently not being tapped into. At the same time, aspiring scientists, engineers and IT experts could find that agriculture offers challenge and the chance to really make a difference.
As a director of the Oxford Farming Conference and a trustee of The Country Trust, Theeb is playing his part in breaking through barriers and opening the door to talent in farming.
To hear Theeb on the Farming Social Hub’s Farming with Nature podcast, click here.