Galway East general election candidate Cllr Clodagh Higgins last night expressed her delight following the Government’s decision to deliver a veterinary medicine course at Mountbellew Agricultural College.
This comes after significant lobbying by Cllr Higgins, who has been a vocal advocate for expanding veterinary education opportunities in the west of Ireland. Cllr Higgins has been in contact with both Minister of State for the Office of Public Works Patrick O’Donovan and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Martin Heydon to ensure that Mountbellew would be a key player in veterinary education in Ireland.
As a former educational consultant, Cllr Higgins had seen the demand for this as Leaving Certificate students who were interested in a career in Veterinary had only one choice in Ireland and that was at University College Dublin.
“I am thrilled to see the Government taking this significant step towards securing the future of veterinary medicine in the region. This is a major win for ATU Mountbellew and the entire west of Ireland,” Cllr Higgins said.
“A veterinary course here will not only help address the shortage of veterinary professionals but also contribute significantly to the local economy and enhance our agricultural and animal care sectors.”
The decision to establish the course at Mountbellew Agricultural College is part of a broader Government initiative aimed at addressing the increasing demand for veterinary graduates in Ireland. The Ministers for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science, alongside the Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, have sought Government approval to establish two new schools of veterinary medicine. The schools, one of which will be located at Atlantic Technological University (of which Mountbellew is a part ), are expected to deliver an additional 80 veterinary medicine graduates per year once fully operational.
Speaking today, Taoiseach Simon Harris said the delivery of two new veterinary schools will help address the need for an increased supply of veterinary professionals in Ireland and will support the agricultural and agri-food sectors, while providing Irish students with more opportunities to pursue veterinary studies without having to seek their education 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.“This is something I really championed when I was Minister for Further and Higher Education and I’m delighted that Minister O’Donovan and Minister McConalogue have today brought forward proposals to establish new veterinary colleges.
“It marks a significant milestone and comes after a period of extensive engagement between the Higher Education Authority, the higher education institutes and Government Departments, working in close collaboration to progress options identified in the HEA’s Expression of interest report, which was brought to Cabinet last year,” he said.
Key decisions made by the Government include:
- Approving, in principle, the establishment of two new schools of veterinary medicine, with a full capacity of 80 additional graduates annually;
- Selecting Atlantic Technological University and South East Technological University as the locations for these new schools, as recommended by the Higher Education Authority (HEA );
- Allocating €50 million in capital expenditure to support these projects, with funding prioritised by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Cllr Higgins concluded by praising the collaborative effort involved in securing this achievement. “I want to thank Ministers O’Donovan and Heydon for their ongoing support, and the local community for their relentless backing of this initiative. This marks the beginning of a new chapter for Mountbellew and the west of Ireland as a hub for agricultural and veterinary excellence.”
