The first preference choice of an agriculture course on this year’s CAO applications is down slightly on last year’s figure, according to the Central Applications Office (CAO).
808 pupils listed agriculture courses as their first choice on their CAO application this year, compared to 860 last year, a drop of 6%.
Veterinary courses were also less popular this year than last year, with 1,222 first preference choices for vet courses this year, compared to 1,313 in 2021.
Interdisciplinary programmes and qualifications involving agriculture, forestry and veterinary also saw a decrease this year, with 59 first preference applications, compared to 61 such applications last year.
The data has been compiled by the CAO following the closing date for ‘change-of-mind’ applications on July 1, 2022.
Agriculture and veterinary
Last week, the Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) announced that it has registered 271 veterinary professionals to date, in 2022.
The breakdown of recently registered veterinary professionals comprises 189 vets and 82 nurses, according to the council.
The VCI is the statutory body responsible for the regulation and management of veterinary medicine and veterinary-nursing practice.
The total number of vets and veterinary nurses on the VCI register currently stands at 3,281 and 1,189, respectively, which is an all-time high in terms of the number of veterinary professionals working in Ireland, according to the VCI.
These registrant numbers are welcomed in the context of increased demand for veterinary services and ongoing recruitment challenges in these rapidly growing and developing professions, the VCI said.
It added that the new additions will “benefit animal health and welfare in Ireland”.