Relevant Matter
Matters involving public funds
Public Policy Area
Agriculture
Period
1 May, 2023 to 31 Aug, 2023
Specific Details
New School of Veterinary Medicine in Ireland
Intended results
To highlight that access to effective and competitive veterinary services is essential for all farmers and clearly the availability of large animal vets plays a vital role in this service provision. The lack of availability of large animal veterinary services continues to be a concern for farmers throughout the country.
According to Bord Bia's Export Performance and Prospects for 2022 and 2023, despite the volatility global economies have experienced since 2020, the demand for agri-food commodities has been sustained. In fact, the value of Irish food and drinks exports in 2022 demonstrated an increase of 25% since 2019. The global supply and demand dynamic has remained positive for Irish food producers, Irish farmers are trusted food producers throughout the world.
Global food demand is projected to continue increasing with credentials around sustainability and welfare becoming more important to consumers. Ireland's strong reputation and credentials for sustainable, safe food production and animal welfare has our farmers well placed to supply and differentiate from competitor exporting nations.
As a result of the global demand for food increasing and consumer preferences evolving, more specialised production is developing worldwide. Due to the increase in specialised production coupled with the ongoing and ever-changing threat of current and emerging diseases; farmers veterinary requirements are shifting and availability of high calibre large animal veterinary practitioners is vital for farmers and the broader agri-food sector in Ireland.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a major societal concern and renewed emphasis has been placed on the appropriate, prudent and responsible use of antibiotics in human and animal treatment. The agrisector are proactively playing their part on this issue which increases the demands on veterinary services.
To highlight that despite the importance of large animal vets to the agri-food sector, IFA members are increasingly highlighting extended waiting times for veterinary call outs due to a lack of vet availability and have raised concerns around production loss and potential animal welfare issues caused by these delays.
Continue to highlight, since 2017, the key concerns relating to competitive large animal veterinary services for farmers throughout the country. IFA called for a review of all components of the service, including the establishment of additional veterinary medical schools in Ireland.
To highlight that there are significant numbers of Irish students studying veterinary medicine abroad due to the difficulties in securing veterinary medicine courses in Ireland. It is not surprising that students with the means have identified and taken advantage of the opportunity to study veterinary medicine abroad considering there has consistently been over 500 applications to study veterinary medicine in Ireland each year since 2016 with only 82 spaces available.
To point out that it is not acceptable for students with the ability and passion to become vital service providers to farmers and the broader agri-sector to have to move abroad in these numbers to follow their chosen career path when these qualifications are in short supply and required in Ireland by Irish farmers.
The VCI register shows an increasing number of vets each year, yet farmers are increasingly reporting a lack of large animal veterinary practitioners across the country and the large animal veterinary practices are outlining the challenges they face in finding and securing long term veterinary practitioners to work in their practices.
While there are 3,398 veterinarians on the VCI register for 2022 it should be noted just over 1,000 carried out TB testing in the year. It is not unreasonable to extrapolate from this that the numbers of veterinarians actively involved in providing large animal services are closer to this number.
Farmers are also reporting concerns regarding closure of local large animal veterinary practices which leaves farmers relying on practices at greater distances from their farms. This is further compounded by the purchasing of veterinary practices by large corporations whose focus is on the more profitable aspects of the business and the aspects that it is easier to secure veterinary practitioners to work in.
To highlight that the lack of availability of veterinary services and increasing waiting times for veterinary call outs are a concern for farmers around the country and should be a key concern for all stakeholders of the agrifood sector. This can only be alleviated by increasing the numbers of veterinary practitioners prepared to work with farm animals.
One of the means of delivering this is clearly the provision of additional veterinary medicine places for students in this country. This can be achieved by the provision of a new veterinary school or increasing the offering of placings on the UCD veterinary medicine course.
Increasing the number of places to study veterinary medicine in this country may reduce the points requirement, however, given the interest shown each year in CAO applications it is unlikely the provision of additional spaces alone will meet the critical objective of identifying students with strong agricultural backgrounds, the capacity to be excellent veterinary practitioners and have the interest and passion to pursue their careers working with large animals and providing a service to farmers
Providing a veterinary medicine course in a different geographical area than is currently available may be more attractive, practical and affordable for students from various parts of the country and from diverse circumstances.
In delivering on the objectives of making veterinary medicine accessible to more students in Ireland and increasing the numbers of students studying veterinary medicine who are more likely to provide a large animal veterinary service in their future careers it is important the standard of qualification is not diminished.
To emphasise that Irish farmers produce food to the most exacting standards in the world, this involves extremely high animal health and welfare standards which in turn maximise the productivity of our animals. In order for Irish farmers to achieve and maintain these standards the veterinary services available must also be of the highest standard.
The UCD school of veterinary medicine sits comfortably in the top 50 in the World University rankings and regularly in the top 25, the proposed new school must be of similar standard. Simply increasing the numbers of places for veterinary medicine in Ireland either through a new school or by increasing the places available in the current school will not in itself address the requirements of farmers
To insist that the selection criteria for the veterinary medicine places in Ireland must be broadened from the onedimensional CAO points system. Practising large animal veterinary medicine successfully and providing for the needs of farmers requires a wide array of skills and competencies that are not identified in the standard CAO points system.
To point out that the selection process must clearly, in the first instance, identify students with the intellectual capacity to complete the course and become qualified veterinarians but it must also take into account the diverse nature and broad skill set required for successful large animal veterinary medicine.
To insist that this must include identifying students who have an appreciation for the Irish agri-sector and its value to the national economy, the key role of farmers in the sector and who have a desire to contribute positively to this by working as large animal veterinary practitioners throughout the country.
To support proposals that seek to address the decline in the numbers of veterinarians offering large animal veterinary services. However, simply providing a new school of veterinary medicine in Ireland without addressing the critical issue of the selection criteria will not deliver for the needs of Irish farmers. This is a complex issue with multiple factors impacting on the diminishing service to farmers.
To highlight that his issue can only be addressed by reviewing all components that contribute to the service which IFA has been highlighting since 2017. They are;
1. Pathways to qualification
2. Obligations set out by VCI
3. The unique nature of the service required by farmers
4. The demographics of the farm, animal population and extremely low income of farmers
To state that it is not acceptable for a country with food and drinks exports worth €16.7 billion in 2022 to continue to allow a situation to evolve where farmers need in relation to veterinary services are not being met.
To stress that the solution requires much more than just additional veterinary medicine placings for students if farmers are to be provided with competitive large animal veterinary services into the future.
Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity
Tim Cullinan IFA President, Tomas Bourke IFA Senior Policy Executive, Anna Daly IFA Policy Executive,
Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?)
No
Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign?
No
Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client?
No
Lobbying activity
The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.
Informal communication (2-5)
Designated public officials lobbied
The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them.
As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.
Brian Leddin
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Denis O'Donovan
Senator (Seanad)
Jackie Cahill
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Joe Flaherty
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Lynn Boylan
Senator (Seanad)
Martin Browne
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Matt Carthy
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Michael Collins
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Michael Fitzmaurice
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Michael Ring
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Paul Daly
Senator (Seanad)
Paul Kehoe
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Tim Lombard
Senator (Seanad)
Victor Boyhan
Senator (Seanad)