History

The first association of veterinarians was established in the Kingdom of Serbia in 1890 at the Assembly of Marvine Doctors of Serbia held from October 21st to 24th the same year in Belgrade, in the building of the Serbian Agricultural Society, which was convened by the district marvine doctor III class Lazar Najdanović (1851-1898) from Ćuprija. Upon opening the assembly, the presidency was elected consisting of: Jovan Ekerović, president, marvine doctor I class in the remount department of the Ministry of War and two secretaries, Milivoje Jovanović, district marvine doctor III class in Kruševac, and Jovan Aleksić, district marvine doctor II class in Požarevac.

The Association was founded during the reign of King Milan Obrenović, within the military veterinary service under the name “Association of Marvine Doctors of the Kingdom of Serbia”. The aim of the Association was to solve professional and scientific issues in the field of veterinary medicine and livestock, that is, to preserve public health and prevent livestock diseases.

The first Statute of the Association of Marvine Doctors of the Kingdom of Serbia was adopted in Kragujevac in 1903.

In 1922, the “Association of Marvine Doctors of the Kingdom of Serbia” ceased to exist under this name, because then at the Congress of Veterinarians of the then Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the “Yugoslav Veterinary Association” was founded, which changed its name in 1949 to “Society of Veterinarians and Veterinary Assistants”. In 1964, the society changed its name to “Union of Societies of Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians of NR Serbia”, then “Society of Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians of NR Serbia”, later SR Serbia, until 1993, when the Statute changed its name to “Serbian Veterinary Society”.

As of October 20, 2005, under the new Veterinary Law, veterinarians are organized within the “Veterinary Chamber of Serbia” (VKS), which functions as a whole with 28 Regional Boards by geographic position of the Republic of Serbia. Regional boards are special entities that, according to the VKS Statute, enjoy autonomy in the implementation of their activities, through a harmonized approach with the objectives of the VKS and actively contribute professionally to the work of the chamber.