As exclusively revealed by the Irish Farmers Journal this week, the way in which vet practices are owned and operated in Ireland is set to change.

This comes on foot of legal advice sought by the Veterinary Council of Ireland on who can and cannot own a veterinary practise. The advice indicates that non-vets can own a practise.

Having people on call all the time doesn’t make financial sense but it’s what vets do

This opens the door for venture capital-led groups to acquire Irish vets. Venture capitalists have been acquiring businesses in the UK.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that a venture capital has approached at least one vet practise in the Republic of Ireland in recent weeks.

These type of groups in the UK do not treat calving events as emergencies and only commit to reaching a farmer’s yard within three hours after receiving a call.

Financial sense

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Conor Geraghty of Veterinary Ireland said the body is gravely concerned that such a move will change the landscape of veterinary services in Ireland.

“Having people on call all the time doesn’t make financial sense but it’s what vets do. We do it in order to deliver the best possible service to farmers.”

Geraghty said that Veterinary Ireland is “seeking immediate clarifications” from the Veterinary Council of Ireland over the changes.

“The whole thing seems very rushed. There was no consultation with vets, with farm organisations or, to the best of my knowledge, with the Department of Agriculture.

“It would seem that they (the Council) wanted to get the changes through.

"There are 19 on the Council and there are 13 new people joining it from January so, from the outside looking in, it seems like they rushed the whole thing though.

“We need to talk to the Council before exploring what options are open to us,” Geragthy said.

Read more

Vet bills to soar as EU clamps down on antibiotics

More farm visits key to fighting antimicrobial resistance – vets