Farmers can apply for a free vet visit from the Targeted Advisory Service for Animal Health (TASAH) from Wednesday 17 June at 11am, Animal Health Ireland (AHI) has announced.

Funded by the Department of Agriculture, the 26,000 free consultations will be available to farmers across the country.

Each consultation is tailored to the individual farm, giving farmers time with their vet to identify risks, plan ahead, and put practical animal health measures in place.

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The programme is aimed at supporting 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, and will also support farmers who have suffered a TB or BVD breakdown.

Consultations

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 over 235,260 hours of free, expert veterinary advice delivered directly to farmers since 2022.

Dr Natascha Meunier, programme manager at Animal Health Ireland, 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."

Farmers wishing to avail of a TASAH consultation in 2026 can register from 11am on Wednesday 17 June and nominate a trained private veterinary practitioner to carry out the visit.

Places are limited and farmers are encouraged to register early.

Full details are available at www.animalhealthireland.ie.