A new veterinary practice in Co Donegal has received a certificate of suitability from the Veterinary Council of Ireland.

It is hoped the new practice will help to increase the availability of veterinary services in the county where a shortage has led to an increase in out-of-hours fees in recent months. In total, there are 14 registered practices in Donegal.

The Department of Agriculture is currently evaluating farm animal veterinary services across the country.

In 2018, there were 748 premises on the Veterinary Council of Ireland register, 25 fewer than the 2017 figure of 773 practices.

Factory vets

Separately, there has been a €2.75m increase in the budget for the meat inspection service, Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed told the Oireachtas committee last Tuesday.

This follows the industrial action taken by Temporary Veterinary Inspectors (TVIs) over Christmas and early this year.

The meat inspection service budget allocation is up from €18.2m to €21m.