Scotland’s Rural College has announced plans to invest up to £7 million in establishing a Rural Veterinary Hub at its Inverness campus.
However, with the sale of the college’s Drummondhill site to Tulloch Homes, three of SRUC’s services currently based in Inverness are set to move.
It will also mean an end to the SRUC post-mortem facilities in Inverness, while the new centre is under construction. The post-mortem service at Drummondhill will end on May 3, 2019.
The £7 million Rural Veterinary Hub project will be led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
The college has committed to investing over £2.8 million in the project, however, a further £4 million still needs to be raised.
The new Rural Veterinary Hub will include cutting-edge facilities for SRUC’s disease surveillance team to support post-mortem examinations.
The hub is part of SRUC’s wider transformation plan to become Scotland’s enterprise university for the rural sector.
George Gunn, head of Veterinary Epidemiology at SRUC said: “SRUC has already set aside £2 million for investment and development of a new Rural Veterinary Hub at the Inverness Campus.
“We are actively seeking additional funding, from a variety of sources, to make this a world-class centre for animal health-related research, innovation and linked business development.
Our new hub, working in partnership with many others, will offer real economic benefits and make Inverness a leading area for this important aspect of regional sustainability.
At the end of May, the SRUC teams based at Drummondhill will move to the An Lòchran building at Inverness Campus. To make room, SAC Consulting staff at An Lòchran will move to Alcaig Farm, near Conon Bridge.
SRUC’s Veterinary Services team, along with the team in the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS), will move to Inverness Campus to work alongside the existing SRUC Epidemiology Research Unit.
SAC Consulting will move to a new, rural location just a few miles from Dingwall Mart. It’s hoped the move will be more convenient for farmers.
Caroline Argo, dean of SRUC’s North Faculty, said: “SRUC has a long history in Inverness and we’re looking forward to being part of a new centre of excellence with Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
We are developing further plans for Inverness and seeking funding for an exciting new venture that will provide a real benefit to the region.
“The decision to end post-mortem examinations in Inverness was not taken lightly. Disease vigilance is vital for the whole of Scotland and we are here to support livestock vets across the region so there is a minimal effect on services.”
The Veterinary Services division will instead work with veterinary practices to support the diagnosis, the control and the prevention of disease.
“Ultimately this will be to the greater benefit of the livestock producers and the animals they care for, across the whole of the Highlands,” Argo added.
