New vet courses called on to prioritise farm animal practice
The new veterinary courses that have been recently established in the country have been called on to prioritise training in farm animal practice.
The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers' Association (INHFA) has insisted that these new courses cater for and provide access for those wishing to study farm animal practice.
Pheilim Molloy, who recently became president of the INHFA, called on South East Technological University (SETU) and Atlantic Technological University (ATU) to design admission criteria so that graduates will be more likely to take jobs in farm animal practice.
"Recruitment and retention of vets to farm practices in rural Ireland is becoming a major impediment to the development and success of our agriculture industry, despite record numbers of vets registered," he said.
"This challenge is an issue we need to recognise and address through positive discrimination in favour of applicants that are motivated to graduate and work in agricultural settings.
"It is vital that both ATU and SETU move away from the current admission policy for veterinary practice which is based only on points and consider a hybrid option," Molloy added.
The INHFA president proposed reserving half of admissions to these courses through the points based model while the other 50% of spaces would be reserved for those with an agricultural qualification from an agricultural college, with the final ranking of these applicants then determined by Leaving Cert points.
He said that he is open to the technological universities "refining" the INHFA's suggestions to obtain the necessary students to work in farm animal practice.
Last week, SETU appointed Dr. Mary-Kate Burke as head of its department of veterinary medicine.
This is the latest development as the university establishes its new veterinary medicine degree.
Burke joined SETU as programme development lead for veterinary medicine and has played a role in shaping the university’s new five-year Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine degree, which is due to welcome its first students in September 2026.
A graduate of University College Dublin (UCD), she brings clinical and academic expertise to the position.
Her career includes international equine practice as well as clinical academic posts at the University of Cambridge and the University of Surrey.
