Mayor of Kilkenny welcomes Kildalton as the new home for National Veterinary College

Mayor of Kilkenny, Cllr David FitzGerald has welcomed the move of the National Veterinary College to the  Kildalton Campus in South Kilkenny.

The National College for training Vets is  part of the South East Technological University ( SETU) expansion into the County of Kilkenny.

Cllr FitzGerald said this development is a  huge moment for the South East.

 "This is a major boost for the Education and Agriculture sectors in the South East. It is  logical placement for the National Veterinary College in the heart of an established and successful Agriculture College in Kildalton. The reality is a large number of potential veterinary students head elsewhere in Europe for their studies and return to Ireland in specialised small animal practices.

Mild with a chance of thunderstorms today in Kilkenny (Friday, May 5)

"The agriculture sector needs a significant number of vets who are capable of treating large animals, I think the home for the Veterinary Kildalton  facility makes a lot of sense.  This announcement is  a gamechanger for veterinary  students, this will provide for a more rural experience to support the agriculture sector. This facility will require a multi million-euro investment to establish the facilities on top of the already well regarded Kildalton campus. ’’

Cllr David FitzGerald has welcomed the move ahead of the South East Technological University (SETU) strategic plan which will be launched later this month. 

"I welcome the  news of the  National Centre for training for the next generation of vets in Kildalton. I’ve been part of the lobbying for a Kilkenny SETU campus both within the county and city. The strategic plan is the long-term planning for the SETU and therefore is crucial that Kilkenny is included and represented within that plan. This will set down the template for the delivery of campus and facilities across the South East. The opportunities which I always hoped and have been aspired to through the SETU are eventually being realised.

"SETU has the potential to knit together all the counties in the South East, to allow the region to become a major force within the country. The unemployment rate is the highest in the country and that’s because we’ve been at a disadvantage from an education point of view. We’ve been sandwich between Dublin and Cork for generations this is our opportunity now to make our own mark to develop our own facilities and educate our local students," he added.