This year’s Costwatch survey shows that the average veterinary call-out charge for 2014 has remained almost the same as last year but there are some significant differences between areas.

On average, it costs €50.57 for a vet to call out and treat an animal. The service vets provide is generally excellent but, in certain parts of the country, the charge can be high. It can be difficult to reduce your animal health spend, but certain precautionary steps can be taken that should reduce your need to call out the vet.

For example, having your vaccination programme up to date, routinely testing animals for fluke and worms and treating accordingly, as well as using easy-calving sires, should help to reduce your overall usage of veterinary services.

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Running a closed herd and putting in place proper preventative action will all pay dividends when trying to reduce your overall bill.

Variation in charges

The Costwatch survey was carried out on a number of beef and dairy farms across the country. Farmers completing the survey were asked to take the call-out charge directly off the bill using the VAT inclusive price.

The variation in charges is evident between counties with the highest callout charge of €68 paid in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, and the lowest charge of €23.33 paid in Co Down. The general run of charges is between €50 and €60 for most counties. In Co Tipperary, there was a significant variation in call-out charges, with one farmer paying €40 and another farmer paying €62 in the same county.

Waterford was similar in that one farmer paid a call-out charge of €67, while another just paid €45. For weekends and nights, service charges increased significantly for our respondents, with an average increase of 16% between the two rates or an extra €10 to have a vet call out to your farm over the weekend.

The highest call-out charge was €85.13 paid in Co Cork for a Sunday call-out. If the same farmer attended the clinic with his sick animal, the cost would be €39.72. On weekdays between 7.30am and 6pm, it costs €68.10 for the vet to call out.

The lowest weekend callout fee was €31.57 charged in Co. Down. One farmer in Co Offaly had a weekend call-out charge of €60, but this went up to €79.45 for a bank holiday call-out. Many farmers paid less when they brought the animal to the vet’s surgery. Prices for treating the animal in the surgery ranged from €16 to €39.72. One farmer from Co Donegal remarked that he brought a calf into the surgery for treatment and he got an excellent service for €21.50.

Bringing animals into the surgery for treatment is rewarding financially as it often results in significant savings for the farmer.

However, it is not always possible to transport an animal because help might not be available for loading, the animal may not be fit enough to transport, or the farm might not have access to suitable transport.

There is a definite move to reward faster payments, with discounts of 7.5% to 10% if you pay on the day of service. Other discounts include a 10% discount if you pay by direct debit or a 5.1% discount if you pay monthly.

The most expensive caesarean section was €275 and that was charged in Co Offaly, while the lowest charge was €200 in Co Mayo.

Caesarean sections are expensive but they can be avoided to an extent with proper cow management. Using easy-calving bulls will reduce the need for a caesarean. Matching Angus and Limousin or Saler bulls with maiden heifers could also reduce the risk of problems at calving.

Reducing your bill

One farmer in our survey said that he pays the same call-out charge for the weekend and night, but only if he gets the same vet for herd testing. This shows that compromises can be made to keep your overall bill low.

One problem with negotiating with vets is that there can be a lack of competition in certain areas. When the pressure is on with a sick animal in the middle of the night, the vet who provides the best service and arrives when needed will be the one who gets the call. But just because your vet provides a good service does not mean he/she can charge exorbitant fees, so you should always look to what others are paying first.

Take a look at our Costwatch survey map to see what farmers are paying in your area before trying to negotiate a fair price with your vet. Farmers with more competition in their area will have more bargaining power compared with farmers in remote areas.

As mentioned earlier, some vets are giving discounts of 10% for paying on the day. This is not always achievable, but paying regularly may help build up a relationship with your vet and give you more wriggle room to get discounts. The vet may also provide a better service if he knows he is going to get paid promptly.

Young vets

One farmer had an interesting point in that he is serviced by a large practice of seven vets and sometimes new vets just out of university are sent out to treat his animals. Many of these young vets are extremely well educated but may lack enough practical experience and the farmer feels he should pay a reduced rate for their service. Of course, the only way these young vets will get the experience required is if they are out on farms dealing with real issues, but maybe more supervision is needed as they learn the trade. Sometimes farmers have to bear the brunt of the cost of a young vet’s experience by losing an animal due to misdiagnosis or poor technical know-how.