Capital Build to support Veterinary Medicine at SETU approved by Government

Waterford Fine Gael Minister of State John Cummins has welcomed confirmation by Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine Martin Heydon and Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless of the formal approval of the capital programme to support the roll out of Veterinary Medicine at SETU which will commence in September 2026 with the first intake of 40 students.

Minister Cummins said: “This is truly a historic moment for Waterford and the South East because, for the first time, young people from our region will have the opportunity to study Veterinary Medicine without leaving the South East.

“This is a transformative development for SETU and for our local economy, ensuring we retain talent and attract new students to Waterford.

“This investment also ensures our region will play a leading role in addressing critical skills shortages in veterinary care, which have been a real challenge for farmers and animal owners in recent years. I want to thank Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon and his Department as well as Minister Lawless for committing to fund these much-needed programmes and associated capital build costs.

“This is yet another example of SETU delivering on its potential as a driver of regional growth and I want to congratulate President of SETU, Professor Veronica Campbell and the team at SETU for their tireless work in ensuring SETU was selected to deliver this prestigious course. I look forward to the first students beginning their studies in just under a year’s time,” Minister Cummins added.

A design team will now be appointed to develop building designs up to a planning stage.

Students will benefit from world-class teaching facilities at SETU’s Glassworks site in Waterford City, alongsidea new education facility atTeagascKildaltonCollegeandthe programme will be supported byadistributed clinicalnetwork of veterinary practices across the region.

Minister Cummins concluded: “I would like to wish newly appointed Head of Veterinary Medicine at SETU Dr Mary Kate Burke and her team every success as they prepare for the first intake of students next September. This is an exciting time for our university.”