BREAKING: New veterinary college to be located across multiple campuses, including Kilkenny

The much anticipated national veterinary college will be located across multiple campuses, including at Kildalton in County Kilkenny.

Further Education Minister Patrick O’Donovan and Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue made the announcement today at the National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, County Laois.

The Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI), the statutory body responsible for the regulation, management and the education of the practice of veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing in the state, has welcomed the news as 80 new third level places are expected to be created for the study of veterinary medicine.

The places will be provided at two new veterinary colleges located at the South East Technological University (SETU) campus in Kilkenny and at Atlantic Technological University (ATU) campuses in Donegal and Galway.

Any new veterinary medicine courses will be subject to VCI accreditation processes to validate them and ensure high standards of veterinary medicine are in place.

"The VCI welcomes this decision as it will bring clarity and certainty to the veterinary medicine sector," said Niamh Muldoon, CEO and Registrar of the Veterinary Council of Ireland.

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"Today’s decision is the cumulation of efforts which started in 2022 by the Higher Education Authority and the VCI to increase capacity in the veterinary sector.

"The additional graduates are greatly needed in the sector, which has seen an increased demand not only for veterinary practitioners, but also for critical agri-food research and development roles.

"As the regulator for the sector, the Council will be pleased to apply our accreditation assessment and standards to any new applicant programmes of veterinary medicine.

"This will be done to ensure the high standards of veterinary medicine enjoyed in Ireland are maintained, in the interest of animal health and welfare, public health, and Ireland’s agri-food sector.”

Cllr David FitzGerald was amongst the many welcoming the government’s announcement this morning.

"It is something I have spoken about, written about, and campaigned for since I was Mayor of Kilkenny in 2022 and it is wonderful to see this finally realised," he said.

"I always argued and lobbied that it was a logical placement for the National Veterinary College in the heart of an established and successful agriculture college like Kildalton. This is a great day for Kilkenny and the South-East."

FitzGerald stated that he was briefed about the news earlier this week 'and it was hard keeping it a secret'.

"This new veterinary college will see the practical tutoring and animal husbandry provided by Kildalton with academic support based at SETU," he continued.

"This is a fantastic boost for the agri and education sectors in Kilkenny and a real game changer for veterinary students who no longer have to leave their region and, in many cases, their country to study veterinary medicine.

"It brings with it a multi-million euro capital expenditure for Kildalton which will be a huge boost to south Kilkenny."

FitzGerald added that Kilkenny has been at a disadvantage with not having an SETU campus in the county.

"We had also lost out to Dublin and Cork for generations of students," he added.

"This will now be somewhat addressed with this new college."

Green Party TD for Carlow-Kilkenny and Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan has also welcomed the announcement.

"The withdrawal by University of Limerick last week of its expression of interest for the new vet school left three universities remaining on the HEA’s shortlist: Atlantic Technological University (ATU), University College Dublin (UCD), and the South East Technological University (SETU) with a proposal developed with Kildalton Agricultural College," he explained.

“The decision to establish a new veterinary college at the South East Technological University and locate it at Kildalton is absolutely the right choice.

“I visited Kildalton last month and got to see first-hand the facilities, accommodation and expertise that make it perfectly suited to providing veterinary education in the region, with a world-class proposal developed by SETU.

"UCD is currently the only college providing veterinary training in Ireland and the government had committed to establishing a much-needed second veterinary college.

“I have long advocated for this new facility to be established at SETU and I’m delighted to have it confirmed by Minister McConalogue today that SETU and ATU will be home to two new vet schools.

"We’ve been calling for a SETU presence in Kilkenny for some time now. With the establishment of this new vet college we’ll have one, and it brings an initial €50 million investment for a potential intake of 40 students.”

Speaking after the decision was confirmed at Cabinet, Minister Noonan added that as the largest Teagasc college, with a strong track-record of providing excellent agricultural, horticultural and equine training, "Kildalton is ideally set-up to host this new school."

On Monday, a motion that Kilkenny County Council writes to the Minister for Higher Education, Innovation & Science to indicate Kilkenny County Council’s full support for SETU’s proposed veterinary and pharmacy programmes was passed unanimously.

Today's announcement will be welcome news for all the councillors who supported that motion, raised by Labour councillors Tomás Breathnach and Seán Ó hArgáin.

"It is part of a regional approach to the development of SETU as a multi-campus university, building on the existing strengths of the educational facilities in the South-East to enable deeper regional development, to drive innovation and to enable the creation of long-term employment," Cllr Breathnach explained.

"The motion seeks the investment required from the Department of Higher Education, Innovation & Science to underpin the provision of these programmes."

The Kilkenny People recently reported that hopes were high that this breakthrough for Kildalton would materialise, based on the strong support and signals being received by officials across the entire South-East region.

Senator Malcolm Byrne, who convenes the South-East Oireachtas group that liaises with SETU, noted recently that ‘there is both cross-party and cross-county support from every TD, Senator and MEP in the region’.

Taoiseach Simon Harris said the schools will help address demand for veterinary professionals and support the agriculture sector.

"The delivery of two new veterinary schools will help address the need for an increased supply of veterinary professionals in Ireland and will support the agricultural and agri-food sectors, while providing Irish students with more opportunities to pursue veterinary studies without having to seek their education abroad," he said.

“I also know how important this announcement is for farmers. There are often shortages of vets in rural and regional Ireland, particularly for large animals and the location of new vet colleges outside Dublin may help assist with that and support our rural communities.
 
"This is something I really championed when I was Minister for Further and Higher Education and I’m delighted that Minister O’Donovan and Minister McConalogue have today brought forward proposals to establish new veterinary colleges.
 
"It marks a significant milestone and comes after a period of extensive engagement between the Higher Education Authority, the higher education institutes and Government Departments, working in close collaboration to progress options identified in the HEA’s Expression of interest report, which was brought to Cabinet last year."
 
Ministers O’Donovan and McConalogue spoke to media after making the announcement at the National Ploughing Championships.
 
Minister O’Donovan said that this 'major investment from government into two new veterinary colleges represents a monumental step forward for Irish education and Irish agriculture'.
 
“Too often many of our brightest students with aspirations of becoming veterinarians have had to look overseas to pursue their studies," he added.
 
“With the formation of these new schools we are offering more students who wish to study veterinary medicine the opportunity to learn and thrive in their academic careers here at home, to pursue their studies within an Irish context, and contribute directly to our agricultural, agri-food, and public health sectors.”
 
Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue said that these new veterinary colleges will 'provide the skilled professionals we need to support our rural communities and address the evolving challenges facing agriculture, from animal health to food safety and climate change'.
 
“The establishment of these colleges will also help promote a better regional spread of educational and professional opportunities," he said.

 
"Both new schools will be located in strategic areas in the country which will foster collaboration with regional agricultural industries, ensuring that the benefits of this initiative extend across the country.”
 
Higher Education Authority CEO Alan Wall added his thoughts, stating that the 'initiative aligns with our commitment to ensuring equitable access to higher education opportunities across Ireland'.
 
Funding from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science will be allocated to support the development of state-of-the-art facilities, faculty recruitment, and the creation of innovative educational programs tailored to meet the unique needs of Ireland’s veterinary landscape.
 
The next phase of planning will now commence between the HEA and the HEIs, and the Ministers and their Departments will continue to work closely to help progress and support the delivery of the new schools.

SETU President, Professor Veronica Campbell recognises the decision as a significant vote of confidence in the University’s vision for the future.

"Veterinary medicine is a highly sought-after programme of relevance to our region that will attract top talent from the region and beyond," she said.

"As the only university in the region, SETU is delighted to be chosen to deliver a new veterinary medicine programme."

The announcement aligns with SETU’s strategic plan and significantly builds on the University’s established expertise in agricultural sciences, bolstered by a 50-year partnership with Teagasc at Kildalton College in Piltown, Co Kilkenny.

Prof Campbell expressed her sincere gratitude to the Government and the HEA for their leadership in tackling critical national skills shortages. She also extended her appreciation to public representatives from the region for pledging their support. 

“SETU is now poised to deliver an innovative veterinary medicine degree that prepares students for the realities of veterinary practice in rural Ireland," she added.

"Our distributed model of clinical teaching, where students will complete their clinical rotations in practices across the South-East, will be transformative for both the University and the region."

Acknowledging the many individuals involved in bringing the vision for a new programme to life, Prof Campbell stated 'a large team across SETU worked tirelessly on the application'.

"I would like to especially recognise Professor Peter McLoughlin, Head (Waterford) Faculty of Science and Computing, and the entire Programme Development team for their efforts," she said.

Commending the key members of the Programme Development team, including Eleanor Kent, Head of the Department of Land Sciences; Dr Mary-Kate Burke, MRCVS and Veterinary Medicine Programme Development Lead; Dr Siobhan Walsh, Interim Operations Manager for Veterinary Medicine; and Tim Ashmore, Principal of Teagasc Kildalton College, Prof Peter McLoughlin said that "their vision, hard work and dedication positioned SETU to succeed in this highly competitive process."

Prof Campbell also acknowledged the support of numerous stakeholders, including Paul Nolan, Chair of SETU’s Land Sciences Industry Board, and various agri-food, equine, life sciences, and veterinary sector representatives.

"Their unwavering backing has been instrumental in advancing the provision of a veterinary medicine programme here in the South-East," she said.

Looking ahead, Prof Campbell added, “We very much look forward to bringing this programme to fruition and are actively working towards accreditation from the Veterinary Council of Ireland with the inclusion of the new programme in the CAO listing in 2025/26 to provide for an annual intake of 40 students.

“We would also like to congratulate Atlantic Technological University (ATU) on their successful application to introduce a veterinary programme to the north-west region.

"This milestone paves the way for future collaboration between our universities. Together, we can advance veterinary education, research, and practice across Ireland, while addressing the needs of rural and agricultural communities nationwide. We look forward to the collaborative opportunities that lie ahead.”