Today, I got a chance to visit Kildalton College in Piltown with my Oireachtas colleagues to see their excellent facilities and meet with the staff. The picturesque Kildalton College has been a leading provider of agricultural, horticultural and equine education in Ireland for over 50 years.
I got to see first-hand the world-class proposals for providing veterinary education in the region developed by Kildalton College and the South East Technological University. At the moment, UCD is only college for veterinary training in Ireland. The government has committed to expanding spaces for several health related courses and, in doing so, will establish Ireland's second veterinary college.
Kildalton is the largest Teagasc college and has a strong track-record of providing excellent agricultral, horticultural and equine training. In partnership with local farmers, Kildaton has been developing our knowledge and skills in these fields. I strongly believe that Kildalton would make an ideal home for the new proposed veterinary college and would be best placed to provide the facilities, accommodation and expertise needed for the new veterinary college.
The proposal developed by SETU and Kildalton is currently being assessed by the Higher Education Authority and, today, we saw the cross-party support for the new college from Oireachtas members across the region.
Comments