Concerns have been raised by a group of veterinary practitioners as the government is yet to announce which third-level institution will receive funding to host a second vet school in Ireland.
Dr. Jimmy Quinn of the Working Group for Reform in Irish Veterinary Education said the earliest intake for new programmes would now be September 2025, with first graduates in 2030.
Earlier this year, it was announced that there is potential for a vet school at the University of Limerick (UL), Atlantic Technological University (ATU), and South East Technological University (SETU).
Assessment by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) also found that there is potential to expand the current offering in veterinary medicine at University College Dublin (UCD).
Funding
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris recently said that there is a “substantial” capital cost associated with the provision of any new vet school.
The Department of Further and Higher Education previously said that the government will consider investment for a new vet school in the next National Development Plan (NDP) review.
However, the department confirmed to Agriland that negotiations on the NDP have not commenced with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.
Minister Harris and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue have agreed to make a joint bid to the NDP process, the department said.
Vet school
Capacities at UL, ATU and SETU have been assessed by the HEA to be at 90, 40, and 40 student places for veterinary medicine annually, with a potential for further 45 places at UCD.
In 2022, 302 new veterinary practitioners joined the Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) register, of which 80 graduated from UCD and the remainder qualified abroad, according to UCD.
With institutions preparing to host a new vet school, Dr. Quinn said that the “danger” with more than one additional school would be that each of them will be “inadequately resourced”.
“At least initially what we are hoping to see happen is one properly funded school on a high intake, 80-100 students.
“That would solve the bulk of the problems that are there at the moment with people having to travel oversees because of the lack of places in UCD,” Dr. Quinn said.