There will be new schools of veterinary medicine for both Atlantic Technological University (ATU) and South East Technological University (SETU), with intakes expected from next year.

The Government has confirmed that the ATU school will be located across Donegal and Mountbellew in Galway, while the SETU campus will be in Kilkenny.

The new courses, which are the first outside of University College Dublin (UCD) since the 1970s, are expected to result in an additional 80 vet graduates per year.

Cabinet was informed this Wednesday of the allocation of €50m in capital expenditure to advance both projects.

Taoiseach Simon Harris, who oversaw the initial stages of establishing a new vet school in his previous ministerial role, said the new schools will address the need for more vets, support the agricultural industry and provide Irish students with more opportunities to pursue veterinary without having to go abroad.

“I also know how important this announcement is for farmers. There are often shortages of vets in rural and regional Ireland, particularly for large animals and the location of new vet colleges outside Dublin may help assist with that and support our rural communities,” he added.

Announcement

Minister for Higher Education Patrick O’Donovan and Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue officially announced the new vet school at the Ploughing on Wednesday.

Minister O’Donovan said the announcement represents a monumental step forward for Irish education and Irish agriculture.

“Too often, many of our brightest students with aspirations of becoming veterinarians have had to look overseas to pursue their studies,” he added.

Minister McConalogue said the new vet schools will provide the professionals needed to support rural communities and address the evolving challenges facing agriculture.

“The establishment of these colleges will also help promote a better regional spread of educational and professional opportunities.

"Both new schools will be located in strategic areas in the country which will foster collaboration with regional agricultural industries, ensuring that the benefits of this initiative extend across the country,” he added.

Funding from the Department of Further and Higher Education will be allocated to support the development of facilities, faculty recruitment and the creation of educational programs tailored to meet the needs of Ireland’s veterinary landscape.

The next phase of planning will now commence between the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the universities.

Shortlist

Last week, University of Limerick (UL) informed the HEA that it was withdrawing its expression of interest.

UCD - the only third level institute currently offering veterinary medicine - in an expanded form had also been on the shortlist.

In October 2022, the HEA ran an expression of interest process seeking responses from higher education institutions interested in building capacity.