Members of Bimeda Board Visit UCD Bimeda Herd Health Hub
In early February 2025, members of Bimeda's Board and senior leadership team visited the University College Dublin (UCD) Bimeda Herd Health Hub in County Kildare, Ireland.
The UCD Bimeda Herd Health Hub is a national facility for dairy herd health education, research, and consultancy, and supports the delivery of state-of-the-art training to undergraduate and postgraduate students in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine. The Herd Health Hub (HHH) was opened in October 2023 and was made possible through a philanthropic donation from Bimeda, as well as funding from Enterprise Ireland and UCD.
The HHH is located at UCD Lyons Farm, UCD's research and teaching farm. This is a fully functioning farm comprising 250 hectares of land, with dairy, beef, sheep, equine, crop and environmental research facilities, in addition to teaching and commercial facilities. Lyons Farm is a critical resource for UCD School of Agriculture & Food Science and UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, and is a centre for innovative research that addresses issues of global importance, from herd health, crop production and nutrition to climate change and biodiversity.The co-location of the Herd Health Hub and the farm provides an unrivalled environment for education and research.
The Bimeda team was welcomed by the Head of UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, Professor Rory Breathnach, as well as members of his team: Assistant Professor of Animal Clinical Studies, Emmet Kelly, Assistant Professor of Bovine Health Management, Luke O'Grady, Professor of Animal Husbandry Mark Crowe and Professor of Production and Animal Nutrition, Finbar Mulligan.
UCD representatives provided a tour of the Hub and the farm, highlighting the teaching, research, and practical work that takes place at the site.
Bimeda's EVP for Global R&D, Reg Affairs and Innovation, Vincent McNally commented, 'it was great to visit the Herd Health Hub now that it is fully operational and learn about how the facility is being utilised to deliver world-class teaching, as well as being a centre for important research and innovation. UCD attracts students from all over the world, and the Hub is a catalyst for the development of the next generation of global leaders in herd health and veterinary medicine. Bimeda's support for the facility is a clear indication of our continued commitment to supporting learning, research and innovation to optimise animal health, wellbeing and productivity. We were also interested to learn about research projects at the Hub and reflect on future opportunities for collaboration.'
