School for vets needed in Munster to address 'worrying' shortage 

With many vet practices throughout Ireland affected by the shortage, the problem is most worrying for remote and rural areas, campaigners say

Newer graduates tend to gravitate towards urban centres, and small animal practices, ahead of large animal farming in rural areas. 

Ireland urgently needs a second veterinary school to address a “worrying” recruitment and retention crisis in the profession.

That is according to a concerned group of vets who are calling for a new school in Munster to help address a known shortage and ageing population among current practitioners, coupled with a high attrition rate in the profession. 

Ireland has just one vet school currently, at University College Dublin, taking in just over 80 students annually and attracting first-round cut-off CAO points of 601. As a result, hundreds of students have no choice but to train abroad, with the vast majority going to study in Eastern Europe or the UK.

In 2021, non-nationals made up 45% of new registrations to the Veterinary Council of Ireland, and Irish students educated abroad made up 26%. Newer graduates also tend to gravitate towards urban centres, and small animal practices, ahead of large animal farming in rural areas. 

With many vet practices throughout Ireland affected by the shortage, the problem is most worrying for remote and rural areas. Ian Fleming, a vet of 45 years, based in Fermoy, Cork, said: “These guys are strained, they may be in single-person practices on 24-hour a day call, 365 days a year.”

“The consequences of not being able to keep the numbers right are putting a strain on practices, even in the bigger practices, and we are aware in the corporates, most would say they run at about 85% staffing of what they actually require. That puts a strain on those people too."

“There is also an animal health and welfare consequence if the services are disrupted. It’s very difficult to maintain your farming system when there are animals involved without having that kind of expertise in the community.”

A spokesman for Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said he was "committed to ensuring a supply of qualified vets to meet the demands of the sector". 

Workforce planning requires consultation with the Department of Agriculture and the Veterinary Council of Ireland, as the regulators of the profession. The minister is engaging with minister for agriculture on this matter, he added.