REPRESENTATIVES of the Working Group for Reform in Irish Veterinary Education outlined to the Agriculture Committee a grim scenario of a crisis in the veterinary profession, due to a chronic shortfall in the number of vets, north and south.

Founder and Director of the Working Group, Jimmy Quinn MVB, MRCVS, along with group members Ian Fleming MVB, MRCVS and Liam Moriarty MVB, MRCVS, highlighted the negative impact on Ireland's food safety coupled with the detrimental effect on large animal and farm practice nationwide but also small animal practice.

At the conclusion of the lengthy debate, chairman of the Agriculture, Food and the Marine Committee, Tipperary TD Jackie Cahill (FF), said: "You have made a very comprehensive argument for UL (University of Limerick) to be the new school. The Committee fully endorses a second veterinary school is needed. Four have applied for it and we have heard from various witnesses over the last two weeks."

Among the applicants is UCD, currently Ireland's only veterinary school, where demand outstrips current available placings of some 82 per year, leading to around 600 Irish students studying veterinary overseas. Some 222 vets who qualified overseas came onto the Veterinary Council of Ireland Register in 2022.

UL's track record in medicine, where graduates are going into and being retained in General Practice, along with its substantial links to industry and the veterinary profession, north and south, were key arguments of the Working Group's support for UL to be chosen for the proposed new veterinary school. The Committee heard from the Working Group that UL could have the new school up and running by 2024 with the first graduates qualified by 2030.

A significant problem of retention of graduates was also highlighted with many choosing to leave practice work after just an average of seven years.

"We are not here to talk down UCD, it is accredited to the highest level in the world, they are squeaky clean, above reproach in that regard, but there is an issue about rural practice, where the students are from and where they will go," said Ian Fleming.

Deputies and Senators spoke on the high cost of Dublin rents for students, the need for balanced regional educational spread but also sounded concerns over the possibly quality of future veterinary teaching outside of UCD.

"We need to be training about 100 students to 150 a year, it needs to be done on scale, we need to hire top staff, the only provider that is 'shovel ready' in the country now as far we are concerned is UL," Jimmy Quinn told the Agriculture Committee.