A new agreement that will allow Irish-educated vets to practice in Australia and New Zealand has been signed by the Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) and the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC).
The bodies signed an agreement of mutual recognition for the veterinary programmes today (Thursday, July 28), that will enable vets educated in courses overseen by either the VCI or AVBC to work in any of the three countries.
Vets who trained in Ireland under the BA Veterinary Medicine at University College Dublin (UCD) can register with the AVBC to work in Australia and New Zealand.
It will also work vice versa, with those educated in programmes in Charles Stuart University; James Cook University; Massey University; Murdoch University; the University of Adelaide; the University of Melbourne; the University of Queensland; and the University of Sydney able to come and practice here.
Niamh Muldoon, CEO and registrar of the VCI said this marks an historic moment in the mutual recognition of education between the two regions. She commented:
The [agreement] will widen the pool of talent in Ireland, while also expanding the options available to Irish-educated vets that wish to travel and practice abroad.
“This marks further positive advancements for the veterinary sector in Ireland.”
Under the terms of the agreement, the two regulatory bodies will regularly visit the designated schools in each other’s countries to ensure that the training being provided is of a sufficient standard to meet registration requirements.
Commenting on the move, Dr. Julie Strous, AVBC’s executive director said:
“AVBC has learned a great deal from the development of the agreements with the UK, South Africa and now Ireland which bodes well for future MRAs that support the international mobility of our profession.”
Her colleague Dr. Peter Gills, chair of the AVBC was also involved in reaching the agreement. He concluded:
“We value greatly the expertise of UCD graduates and look forward to a strengthening of our bonds with the Veterinary Council of Ireland and the wider Irish veterinary profession in the years ahead.”