There is no subscription associated with this email address. To read our subscriber-only content. The total number of vets and veterinary nurses on the VCI register now stands at 3, and 1, respectively, hitting an all-time high in terms of the number of veterinary professionals working in Ireland.
The three counties which are home to the largest numbers of vet registrants are Cork with , Dublin with , and Kildare with Of the newly registered vets, were awarded their bachelor of veterinary medicine degree from University College Dublin UCD. The remaining vets graduated from a number of schools abroad, with the most popular being the University of Medicine in Budapest, which accounted for 31 new vets and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Poland, accounting for 12 new vets.
VCI has welcomed the new registrants and believes this influx of additional talent will benefit animal health and welfare in Ireland. Vets from throughout Europe are eligible to register with the Veterinary Council of Ireland through the Professional Qualifications Directive. Read more. Vet numbers boosted by new recruits. Sign in Incorrect details Please try again or reset password Email address This field is required.
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Veterinarians invited to the company's May 9, , shindig at the posh Carton House estate in Kildare got to play the manicured greens and fairways of a championship golf course. Attendees included veterinarians who had already joined the Bristol, England-based company, which also owns the Independent VetCare brand. Others were in the process of having their practices acquired, while some were simply curious, according to the company.
IVC Evidensia's efforts to bring more practices into a fold that encompasses around 1, clinics in Europe come as the Irish veterinary sector reaches a crossroads. Ireland remains a relative holdout against the wave of corporate consolidation that has taken place in other developed markets, such as the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. While Northern Ireland is part of the U.
Ireland's heavy weighting toward independent ownership was partly supported by its regulatory framework. Up until recently, the country's Veterinary Practice Act was widely interpreted as barring non-veterinarians from owning veterinary practices. But interpretations of that law are changing, bringing to the fore in Ireland a question that is still being asked in the U. Tensions in Ireland rose in December , when the industry's regulatory body, the Veterinary Council of Ireland VCI proposed an amendment stating that it could not prevent lay companies from acquiring practices.
The VCI's interpretation of the legislation sparked some criticism but following a period of public consultation and seeking further legal advice, it officially added the amendment last year.
The council's Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Practitioners now incorporates this statement in chapter 4 : "The Veterinary Council has no statutory authority role or remit in relation to the ownership of veterinary practices under current legislation. Like most detractors of corporatization, Veterinary Ireland is concerned that businesses could compromise on clinical standards to maximize profits on behalf of shareholders, its chief executive, Finbarr Murphy, told the VIN News Service.
Veterinary Ireland also doesn't like the idea of non-veterinarians having control over drugs that can be dangerous if not administered by a professional. Murphy said the existing Irish legislation "clearly prohibits" lay involvement in the practice of veterinary medicine and the sale and supply of prescription drugs.
The VCI rejects that criticism. She noted that all veterinary practices in Ireland must have what's called a certificate of suitability — a license that can be held only by a qualified veterinarian or veterinary nurse registered with the VCI.
She added: "Our concern is for the public interest, animal welfare and public health. So our main focus is on the safe operation of veterinary practices around the country. In its opposition to the VCI's view, Veterinary Ireland has argued that the concepts of practice ownership and animal welfare aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, as was perhaps demonstrated last year in the northern county of Donegal.
The practice closure, which made local and national headlines, reportedly left dozens of farmers scrambling to seek replacement veterinary care. At the time, IVC Evidensia cited "staffing and regulatory issues" for the closure. But Dr. Ciaran Roarty, a veterinarian at the practice, insisted that there was "no legal, ethical or regulatory reason" for the closure, according to a statement he issued widely to the Irish press.
Catharina Burch, IVC Evidensia's head of communications, did not elaborate on why the practice was closed, or whether or when it would reopen. In an emailed statement, Burch said only: "We believe in local autonomy supported processes and best practices allowing our clinics to focus on what they do best, putting patients and customers first. IVC Evidensia Ireland is proud to have an ethos and culture that supports locally led clinics.
The welfare of the patients seen is paramount, which is why all the clinical decision making in each clinic is by the clinical director and certificate of suitability holder for each practice. As far as Veterinary Ireland is concerned, the Donegal incident offers an example of why lay businesspeople shouldn't be in charge. The VCI's Muldoon declined to comment on the Donegal case, saying it "will not comment on any individual matter.
The ongoing divide between Veterinary Ireland and the VCI is borne out in clinics across the country. Extracts of opinions expressed by veterinarians opposed to corporate ownership included: "not driven by ethics, animal welfare"; "solely profit-motivated"; and "older vets will profit and younger vets will never be able to afford to buy a practice. The VCI, during its public consultation period in , also hired consultancy Grant Thornton to perform a similar survey.
That advice, the consultancy concluded, indicated "a lack clarity" in the legislation with respect to veterinary practice ownership. The legal advice also indicated that the legislation "does not express a role for the Veterinary Council of Ireland [VCI] in the matters of ownership of veterinary practices.
No bill has yet been lodged, and Cahill's office did not respond to requests from VIN News for comment. In Britain, corporate ownership of veterinary practices was introduced in via a guidance update made by its professional regulator, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Nowadays, roughly half of U. In the U. The market share by revenue likely is greater now. Because it reflects the ability to finance current operations, working capital is a measure of the margin of protection for current creditors.
When you relate the level of sales resulting from operations to the underlying working capital, you can measure how efficiently working capital is being used.
This ratio calculates the average number of times that interest owing is earned and, therefore, indicates the debt risk of a business. The larger the ratio, the more able a firm is to cover its interest obligations on debt. This ratio is not very relevant for financial industries.
This ratio is also known as "times interest earned. This is a solvency ratio, which indicates a firm's ability to pay its long-term debts. The lower the positive ratio is, the more solvent the business. The debt to equity ratio also provides information on the capital structure of a business, the extent to which a firm's capital is financed through debt.
This ratio is relevant for all industries. This is a solvency ratio indicating a firm's ability to pay its long-term debts, the amount of debt outstanding in relation to the amount of capital. The lower the ratio, the more solvent the business is. Net fixed assets represent long-term investment, so this percentage indicates relative capital investment structure.
It indicates the profitability of a business, relating the total business revenue to the amount of investment committed to earning that income. This ratio provides an indication of the economic productivity of capital.
This percentage indicates the profitability of a business, relating the business income to the amount of investment committed to earning that income. This percentage is also known as "return on investment" or "return on equity. This percentage, also known as "return on total investment," is a relative measure of profitability and represents the rate of return earned on the investment of total assets by a business.
The higher the percentage, the better profitability is. This percentage represents the total of cash and other resources that are expected to be realized in cash, or sold or consumed within one year or the normal operating cycle of the business, whichever is longer.
This percentage represents all claims against debtors arising from the sale of goods and services and any other miscellaneous claims with respect to non-trade transaction.
It excludes loan receivables and some receivables from related parties. This percentage represents tangible assets held for sale in the ordinary course of business, or goods in the process of production for such sale, or materials to be consumed in the production of goods and services for sale.
It excludes assets held for rental purposes. This percentage represents all current assets not accounted for in accounts receivable and closing inventory. This percentage represents tangible or intangible property held by businesses for use in the production or supply of goods and services or for rental to others in the regular operations of the business. It excludes those assets intended for sale. Examples of such items are plant, equipment, patents, goodwill, etc.
Valuation of net fixed assets is the recorded net value of accumulated depreciation, amortization and depletion. This figure represents the average value of all resources controlled by an enterprise as a result of past transactions or events from which future economic benefits may be obtained. This percentage represents obligations that are expected to be paid within one year, or within the normal operating cycle, whichever is longer.
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