Veterinary college in Limerick would give new impetus to profession on 'cliff edge'

IRELAND is facing a “cliff edge” with an ageing community of veterinary practitioners, said Minister for State Niall Collins.

He sat down last week with the Vet School Working Group (VSWG), who are calling for a vet school in the Mid-West.

Pictured above are Cllr Ger Ward; Derek O'Donoghue, principal, Salesian Agricultural College; Ian Fleming, Vet School Working Group (VSWG); Shane McAuliffe, McAuliffe Pig Farms, Castleisland; Laura Courtney Ward, vet student studying in Poland, Minister Niall Collins; Hazell Mullins, president of Veterinary Ireland; Aonghus Lane, St Davids Poultry, Newcastle West; Jim Quinn, VSWG; Liam Walsh, St Davids Poultry

Last year, then Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris announced UL was given the green light to proceed to the next stage of its vet school application - preparing a full business case.

VSWG say UCD is the only provider of veterinary education on the island of Ireland, “producing one quarter of annual requirement - 80 out of 320 vets”. They estimate over 600 Irish students are attending vet schools, mainly in Eastern Europe.

They say there are “chronic recruitment / retention issues in Irish veterinary practice, both rural and urban, putting provision of veterinary services at risk”.

The solution, according to the VSWG, is a new, large capacity (80 to 100 place) vet school, based in the Mid-West for regional balance, with innovative teaching methods with UL the “preferred site”.

Speaking after the meeting in Pallaskenry Agricultural College, Mr Collins said there is a recognised shortage of veterinary college places in Ireland.

“This puts so many students and their families through the hugely undesirable experience of the CAO lottery to get into Ireland’s only veterinary school in UCD or else having to study abroad either in the UK or Poland. Studying abroad places enormous extra cost and stress on students.

“We are also facing a cliff edge with an ageing community of veterinary practitioners across Ireland. This is most acute in  large animal practices,” said Mr Collins.

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For reasons of food security, animal welfare and supporting our farmers we need to produce more vets in Ireland to work in Ireland, he said.

“As a TD and minister representing rural county Limerick I fully appreciate the sense of urgency now being expressed by both the veterinary and farming communities.

"Government recognises this and following a series of expressions of interest from universities a decision will be made in  coming months as to the location or locations of these much needed new veterinary college places,” concluded Mr Collins.