Every year, the last Saturday of April is celebrated as world veterinary day, and this year’s theme is “Veterinarians as guardians of food and health”. Most of us notice a veterinarian only when a pet animal - a cow, a sheep, a horse - falls ill. Beyond that, we hardly give them a thought. Yet, in quiet ways, they stand behind something we depend on every single day, the safety of our food.

Think about it. Milk in the morning, meat in the market, eggs in the kitchen. These do not just appear. There is a long chain behind them. Somewhere in that chain, often unseen, a veterinarian has already done their part. Their work is not glamorous. It is routine, sometimes exhausting, and mostly invisible. Farm visits, checking animals, guiding farmers, dealing with disease risks, it goes on daily without attention. But if this routine slips even for a while, the consequences can be serious.

Many diseases that affect humans begin in animals. This is not theory; it is a fact we have seen again and again. The difference between a controlled........

© Greater Kashmir