Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has rejected claims that the new veterinary college will be awarded to the South East Technological University (SETU).

The Mayor of Kilkenny, Fine Gael councillor David Fitzgerald, told KCLR FM on Thursday night that while the formal announcement would not be made for a number of weeks, SETU would be the venue for Ireland’s second only veterinary college.

Fitzgerald claimed that university, along with its Kildalton College farm campus, would be the site of the proposed veterinary school.

However, a spokesperson for Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue, who is involved in the process, denied the claim, saying “no decision has been made”.

He added that the decision on the venue for the new school will “only be made following a Government decision. Minsters McConalogue and Harris continue to engage closely on the matter.”

SETU is one of a number of colleges nationwide vying to host the new vet school. Until now, UCD has been the only university where the degree could be studied.