Ireland may need more than one new vet school, Simon Harris says

Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris has said Ireland may need more than one new veterinary school as he and the agriculture minister assess three “viable” proposals.

Proposals to establish a new veterinary school went to Cabinet in June, after concerns were raised about a shortage of vets and the high proportion of people going abroad to become qualified.

The three “viable” proposals being assessed by government are at Kildalton Agricultural and Horticultural College in Co Kilkenny; University of Limerick; and a dual-campus model between Mountbellew Agricultural College and a site in Co Donegal.

Mr Harris said it was “utterly unacceptable” that so many young Irish people have to go abroad every year to study veterinary medicine.

“At the same time, farmers tell me on a regular basis that they have difficulty accessing vets, particularly vets for large animals,” he said, while speaking at the National Ploughing Championships in Co Laois.

“It is my instinct that we need more than one to proceed, I personally think we should see at least two proceed, and I also think we need to move beyond having the only veterinary school in the country, a very fine one, being based in south Dublin,” he said, referring to UCD.

He said the need to establish a veterinary school outside Dublin was particularly evident as farmers claim there is a shortage of vets who carry out late-night calls for large farm animals, rather than for the treatment of “hamsters and guinea pigs and pet rabbits”.

He said a decision would be made on which proposal would be chosen later this year.

“I’ve been working intensively with the Department of Agriculture and my own department, and from a financial point of view, to try and make a decision on this,” he told reporters.