Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has said that work is underway to redevelop “outdated” regional veterinary laboratory facilities.

The minister was responding to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil TD Jennifer Murnane O’Connor who asked about the costs associated with upgrading the laboratories and the planned allocation for 2025.

Minister McConalogue said that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is working in partnership with the Office of Public Works (OPW) to deliver the redevelopment programme.

He said that the plan involves replacement laboratory facilities at current sites in Kilkenny and Sligo, along with an enhanced facility in Athlone.

A large new specialist laboratory centre is planned for a new site in north Cork which will replace the current facilities in Cork and Limerick.

The programme also includes the development of five transfer-to-laboratory centres (TLC) in northwest and northeast, southwest, midwest, and west, to extend the provision of post-mortem services countrywide.

Minister Charlie McConalogue
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue

The minister said that the programme will be delivered in phases, with the first phase focused on developing an exemplar laboratory design that will replace existing facilities in Kilkenny underway.

“An exemplar TLC design, that will be developed on department owned lands at Raphoe and Ballyhaise, is also being progressed.

“Following site surveys, acquisition of a site in north Cork for the new Munster laboratory is ongoing.

“The design team is currently finalising the exemplar designs and it is expected that planning applications will be submitted to the relevant local authorities in the coming months,” he said.

The minister said that the completion of the design phase will allow for provisional costings to take place.

He said this will provide “indicative estimates of costs and enable the necessary processes to be progressed subject to the provision of the necessary funding in line with the public spending code”.