Animal Health Ireland programme offers 26,000 free vet consultations for farmers
The service aims to support the responsible use of animal medicines, upskilling around biosecurity, as well as being proactive about disease prevention on cattle, sheep, pig, poultry and horse farms.
Animal Health Ireland has announced the Targeted Advisory Service for Animal Health (TASAH) will open on June 17 at 11am and will offer 26,000 free vet consultations.
The service aims to support the responsible use of animal medicines, upskilling around biosecurity, as well as being proactive about disease prevention on cattle, sheep, pig, poultry and horse farms. The programme also supports farmers who have suffered a bovine TB or bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) breakdown.
The Department of Agriculture funds the TASAH programme and provides farmers with a free, on-farm visit from their local TASAH-trained veterinary practitioner. Each consultation is tailored to the individual farm, giving farmers dedicated time with their vet to identify risks, and plan and put practical animal health measures in place.
Since the first TASAH consultations were delivered in 2016, a total of 85,576 have been completed. The service has grown rapidly in recent years — 78,420 of those consultations took place between 2022 and 2025, representing more than 235,260 hours of free, expert veterinary advice delivered directly to farmers since 2022.
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Programme manager at Animal Health Ireland Natascha Meunier said: "The strength of the TASAH model is its simplicity. It puts the farmer and their own vet at the centre of the conversation.
"Every farm is different, and these consultations give farmers the time and space to work through the issues that matter most on their own holding, whether that is parasite control, biosecurity, disease investigation or herd health planning. The advice is practical, it is tailored, and it is completely free to the farmer.
"We are hugely grateful to the thousands of farmers and veterinary practitioners who have engaged with TASAH over the years. Their commitment is what turns good advice into healthier herds and flocks," she added.
Farmers who wish to sign up for the TASAH consultation programme in 2026 can register from June 17 and may nominate a trained private veterinary practitioner to carry out the visit. Farmers are encouraged to register early.
Full details on the TASAH programme are available at animalhealthireland.ie.
