Decision not to locate veterinary medicine school at UL a huge missed opportunity for Limerick
The decision not to locate veterinary medicine school at UL is a huge missed opportunity for Limerick according to Limerick Labour General Election candidate Cllr Conor Sheehan.
Cllr Sheehan:
“This is a huge missed opportunity for Limerick and there are questions that need to be answered in relation to why the University pulled out given its well established expertise in educating medical and science students.
“UL is strategically well placed to expand to cater for a veterinary medical school and given the ageing workforce and chronic shortage of vets, it is clear that this is a bad day for Limerick.
“Some of my own friends would have loved to have studied veterinary medicine were it not for the shortage of places and resulting sky high points and many people are forced to travel to the UK, Poland and Hungary because they cannot study here as UCD is the only University that teaches veterinary medicine.
“For years vets have warned of a cliff edge due to the scarcity of vets and and ageing workforce. We need over 320 vets graduating every year and at the moment that figure is just 80.
“It is extremely disappointing that the Minister for Higher Education could not deliver this badly needed facility as a County Limerick TD.”