Michael comes from a farming background in County Meath and holds a diploma in Agriculture.

He graduated with an Honours degree in Veterinary medicine from UCD. He was awarded a PhD from Edinburgh University on fundamental cellular metabolism. After spending six years in mixed Veterinary Practice he joined the Virology Division of the Central Veterinary Laboratory at Abbotstown, Dublin 15. While in the Division he developed a range of techniques for the rapid diagnosis of virus diseases in animals. Such developments improved understanding of the agents associated with respiratory disease in animals in Ireland. He also instigated the development of the first DNA based tests for virus infections including for BHV1 in animals in Ireland and was involved in the diagnosis and control of the largest outbreaks of IBR on farms in Ireland. He became Deputy Director of the Veterinary Laboratory Service and subsequently Director of all the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine Laboratories.

He was a member of the EU Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare, and later a member of the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Scientific Panel on Animal Health and Welfare. He was involved in preparing a number of reports on Animal Health and Welfare matters for the European Commission and chaired the working group of European experts that produced the report on the definition of BHV1 freedom.

He is a fellow of the Society of Biology and has recently been appointed to the Minister for Agriculture Food and Marine’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare.

Michael believes that the work of Animal Health Ireland is fundamental to improving the welfare of farm animals and the competitiveness of farming in Ireland.

David Graham is CEO and interim Programme Manager for Biosecure Diseases including the BVD programme. He qualified from UCD as a Veterinary Surgeon in 1988, and after working as a house surgeon at the Veterinary School in Dublin he moved back to Northern Ireland where he spent several years in mixed large animal practice. In 1992 David joined the Stormont laboratories of the Veterinary Sciences   division of the Science Service (now the Agrifood and Biosciences Institute) of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development where he has worked in several branches. During his time there he gained extensive experience in the diagnosis and control of a wide range of viral and bacterial diseases, including bovine viral diarrhoea (BVDV), infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), Johne's disease and leptospirosis. He received his PhD in 1998 on improved methods for diagnosing bovine respiratory disease from Queen’s University Belfast and in 2007 he established, and has subsequently led a cattle health scheme offering monitoring, eradication and accreditation programmes for BVD, IBR, Johnes and leptospirosis. David joined AHI in October 2010 and held the position of Deputy CEO prior to his appointment as CEO.  On an interim basis he continues to hold the position of Programme Manager for Biosecure Diseases where his role is to lead and manage a number of  AHI projects relevant to the non-regulated biosecure diseases which have been prioritised for action by AHI (BVD, IBR). He is actively involved in the Johne's Disease control programme. Contact David by email here.

Bernard is originally from Ballivor in Co. Meath, and is currently based in Meath as the CEO of the National Cattle Breeding Centre.

He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Trinity College Dublin in 1981, and received a M. Appl. Sc in Food Science in 1992. He worked in large animal practice from 1981 to 1992. He began work in the Artificial Insemination sector in 1992 when he joined the then Dublin District Milkboard. Subsequently he joined Progressive Genetics in 1995. In 2005 the two largest cattle breeding programmes in Ireland combined to form the National Cattle Breeding Centre which he has worked for since it commenced.

Bernard is currently the CEO of the National Cattle Breeding Centre, in addition to being the Veterinary Officer for the centre. Bernard states that “NCBC has been a supporter of AHI since it's formation as we believe delivery of a national strategy to reduce/eliminate key disease will deliver benefits by way of extra genetic gain in addition to the benefits of healthier herds.

As the Veterinary Officer for NCBC I am constantly working to ensure all our bulls are healthy and free from disease. Annually we screen large numbers of bulls and herds and find that we are excluded from accessing some excellent genetic potential due to evidence of infection. We are faced with balancing genetic gain on one hand and biosecurity on the other”.

Bosco is originally from Naas, Co. Kildare and is currently based there. He is currently the Technical Manager for Intervet/Schering Plough Animal Health. He has a MVB degree from UCD and a MRCVS.

In 2011 he completed a MVM in “Aspects of Bovine Herpesvirus 1 and Bovine Virus Diarrhoea Virus infection in beef and dairy herds in the Republic of Ireland”. He worked for two and a half years in general veterinary practice before joining Intervet Ireland Ltd. as technical advisor.

Recently he has been involved in a nationwide seroprevalence study on BVD and IBR which will yield interesting results on these diseases through peer reviewed publications.

Bosco is happy to be involved with AHI because he has been trained extensively on disease management and this experience has been further enhanced with 15 years technical support for veterinary practices throughout Ireland.

Donal Lynch is originally from Dublin and is now based and working in Tullamore. He qualified as vet in UCD in 2000. He is past President of Veterinary Ireland and past Chairperson of the Food Animal Group of Veterinary Ireland. He is also a member of XLVets IRELAND, a group of independently-owned veterinary practices that have come together to work to improve the health of the animals under their care.

Since qualification he has worked in mixed general practice with particular emphasis in cattle health and production. Prior to qualifying as a vet he spent time working in the agricultural sector on a large progressive dairy herd. Donal maintains a keen interest in all veterinary and agricultural matters.

Donal is a member of the IBR Technical Working Group and one of the Veterinary Ireland representative on the BVD Implementation Group.

Maria is from Zaragoza in Spain and is now based with AFBI in Northern Ireland. Maria is Head of the Disease Surveillance and Investigation Branch at the Veterinary Sciences Division of AFBI. After graduating from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza (Spain) she moved to Northern Ireland, where she gained five years of experience as a veterinary practitioner in a mixed practice. She joined AFBI as a Veterinary Research Officer in 2005 where she gained experience on the control, eradication and accreditation of endemic diseases of cattle by working on AFBI’s Cattle Health Scheme. This is a voluntary scheme which covers bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD), infectious bovine rhynotraqueitis (IBR), leptospirosis, neosporosis and Johne’s disease. She also managed the Diagnostic Virology laboratory and is Technical Manager for ISO179025 accredited serology and molecular tests. She has a particular interest in bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) and has completed a PhD on BVD control from Queen’s University in Belfast. ‘Animal Health Ireland is playing a major role in the tackling of production diseases by the Irish industry. I am delighted to be given the opportunity to work with AHI and the IBR TWG’

Ríona is originally from outside Tralee, Co. Kerry and is now based in Carrignavar, Co. Cork. Ríona is a member of the IBR, BVD and Johne’s disease TWGs.

Ríona holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine (MVB), a Master’s degree (in prion biology) and a B.Sc. (Hons). She is currently completing a PhD in the area of biosecurity and non-statutory diseases at the University of Limerick. Her current research interests include BVD, IBR, Johne’s disease, and the application of veterinary diagnostic techniques to dairy herds. In 2011, she expanded her range of veterinary techniques by completing a certificate in equine dentistry with the Australian Equine Dental Practice. Ríona has previously worked with the Enfer Group in veterinary diagnostics and was one of the joint developers of the world’s first rapid BSE test; the Enfer TSE Assay. Following qualification as a vet and after a short period in practice, Ríona joined Teagasc Moorepark as a research officer in the area of herd health, a role to which she returned to in 2011 having spent some time as CEO of Independent Milk Laboratories.

Riona says that she “supports AHI in its initiatives as I believe the establishment of AHI to be one of the most significant recent developments in Irish veterinary herd health. Its contribution to the Irish agriculture industry has and will be invaluable in terms of standardisation of information and co-ordination of herd health stakeholders in achieving a higher health status for the national herd".

Ronan is originally from a farming background in Armagh and continues to farm there today. He is now based at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the Virology Division at Backweston with responsibility for ruminant viral diagnostics. He graduated from UCD as a Veterinary Surgeon in 1994 and after graduation he “served his time” in mixed practice in the Irish Midlands for five years. He spent two periods studying at Glasgow Veterinary School – the first was a pathology residency, the second being the work for his PhD on the genetic control of respiratory vaccines in cattle in 2002, - while gaining invaluable experience involved in the Foot and Mouth outbreak in 2001 and in the intervening years. His current role in the Virology Division at Backweston sees him responsible for statutory viral diagnostics, national reference laboratory duties, respiratory virus diagnostics and research. Ronan sees “AHI as a more direct route to contact Irish farmers with cows and calves, in the hope that, together, we can reduce endemic disease, a lot of which is quite predictable and largely avoidable. The associated increased profitability and sustainability for cattle farming in Ireland will prove to be the most potent driver of this process.”

Doreen was reared on a dairy farm in North Kerry, graduated from UCD with an MVB MRCVS in 1987, and received a PhD in cattle reproduction UCD in 1990, in 2016 she obtained a Certificate in Dairy Herd Health from UCD.  Currently, Doreen is working with Munster Cattle Breeding in Mallow Co Cork where she works with and advises dairy and suckler farmers on genetics, animal breeding, and animal health issues.  Doreen is a strong advocate of herd health planning to avoid the overuse of antibiotics and anthelmintics. In addition, she is a regular contributor to several farming publications and has served on the board of ICBF from its inauguration in 2001 to 2012 and is currently is a member of the ICBF Technical Advisory Group. Along with her husband Tim and her daughter Katie, breed and show pedigree Limousin cattle from their award-winning Roundhill herd.  In 2016 they hosted the International Limousin Congress. Doreen is actively involved in Limerick Show and is the Chairperson of their cattle committee.

Elizabeth qualified from UCD as a Veterinary Surgeon in 1996, and spent a year in mixed practice. She then undertook a residency programme in Animal Husbandry and Production at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ballsbridge, before taking up a position of Assistant Lecturer in 2000 and completing a PhD in bovine reproduction in 2002. She then took up a clinical lectureship at the Royal Veterinary College, London, in Obstetrics before completing a European Diploma in the European College of Animal Reproduction in 2003. She undertook a postgraduate certificate in Academic Practice from King's College, London, in 2004. Elizabeth returned to Ireland to take up a position in the Department of Agriculture in 2006, where she undertook research examining herd health on Irish farms, based in the Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis. Currently she is based in the ERAD division with a remit for ruminant diseases.

Mary is originally from Co. Westmeath and now living in Cashel, Co. Tipperary.

She qualified from UCD Veterinary College in 2000 and is currently the National Veterinary Manager (livestock) for Zoetis (Ireland). Her main role in Zoetis is as Technical Adviser to customers and colleagues on disease prevention, herd health plans, vaccination programmes and product information. Communication and education in disease areas such as IBR, BVD, Leptospirosis, etc are central to her role.

Mary feels that “AHI is a great opportunity to bring a coherent and unified message from animal health advisers to all involved in the livestock industry. My involvement in the IBR technical working group is due to my involvement in developing and implementing IBR control and eradication programmes for Irish Herds over the past number of years. AHI is in a position to deliver the best advice available to Irish Farmers and advisers on disease control and management, thereby improving farming productivity and profitability”.

Stephen Conroy is a committee member on the IBR and Bio-security technical working groups. He is originally from a large suckler beef (180 cows) and sheep (450 ewes) farm in Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath and still plays an active role in the running of the farm.

Stephen Conroy is a committee member on the IBR and Bio-security technical working groups. He is originally from a large suckler beef (180 cows) and sheep (450 ewes) farm in Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath and still plays an active role in the running of the farm.

He qualified with a BAgSc (Hons) (Animal and Crop Production) in 2005 from UCD and completed a PhD in “The relationship of live animal muscular and skeletal scores, ultrasound measurements and carcass classification scores with carcass composition and value”. Upon completion of his PhD he went to work for the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation where he is currently the manager of the G€N€ IR€LAND Beef breeding programme and Tully performance test centre, located in Kildare Town, Co. Kildare.

One of his main roles is to help maximise genetic gain in beef through the G€N€ IR€LAND programme. This involves working closely with various Industry partners. One of the main objectives of the G€N€ IR€LAND program is to identify and progeny test the best young maternal and terminal beef bulls each year across all the beef breeds.

“Herd health plays an important role in the selection of these young bulls as only bulls from high health status herds are selected”.

Tim graduated from the University of Glasgow Veterinary School in 2005. After completing a Masters of Veterinary Medicine he worked in farm animal practice in Scotland for two years. In 2008 Tim moved to the farm animal department in UCD, where he completed a residency training programme in Bovine Health Management, becoming a Diplomat of the European College. In 2010 he was appointed as Lecturer in Integrated Farm Health also in UCD, and in November 2011 he returned to Glasgow University as a Lecturer in Production Animal Medicine.  In January 2015 Tim joined the Scottish Agricultural College Consulting (Veterinary Services), moving to the north-east of Scotland to take a post as manager of the Disease Surveillance Centre in Aberdeen. The formation of Animal Health Ireland has created the potential for Irish Agriculture to make substantial and lasting improvements to animal health, welfare and production. Tim is committed to providing impartial, evidence based advice to Animal Health Ireland and all stakeholders to help them to realise this potential.

William FitzGerald is a Veterinary Research Officer with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine based at Limerick Regional Veterinary Laboratory. William spent a number of years as a Veterinary Practitioner in mixed but predominantly Farm animal practice in New Ross, Co Wexford (2001-2002) and Moate, Co Westmeath (2004-2010). He qualified with a Masters Degree in Veterinary Medicine in 2006 for research on the prevalence of oral disease in Irish sheep. In 2010, he joined Bimeda Animal Health as the Commercial Veterinarian. In November 2011, William joined the Department of Agriculture, where he has been able to pursue his particular research interests in the areas of parasitology and bovine virology.

Originally from Co. Tyrone, Shane studied for his veterinary degree in the UK, where he continued to work for five years in Dairy Practice.  Since then Shane has worked for several years in dairy practices in New Zealand and Co Monaghan. While in Australia in 2009, Shane completed the CountDown DownUnder Adviser training course, and has since completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Dairy Herd Health at UCD in 2011. In 2011 Shane took up the position of Veterinary Practitioner with Glanbia where he has responsibility for providing animal health advice to the company, its milk suppliers and support staff.  The role includes the areas of milk quality, animal welfare, herd health and disease control. Shane is a member of the Technical Working Group for IBR, and also represents Glanbia on the Implementation Groups for BVD and Johne’s disease.  

Sharon Verner is Programme Manager for Animal Health and Welfare Northern Ireland with responsibility for the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) Eradication Programme. Sharon holds a degree in veterinary medicine from the University of Cambridge.  Previously she has led on the technical side of animal health programmes in government veterinary service.  Her most recent role was management of the Brucellosis eradication scheme in DAERA which resulted in NI gaining Officially Brucellosis Free status in 2015. Prior to that, Sharon led the BSE-driven Over Thirty Month Rule Change project that ultimately allowed meat from older cattle to enter the food chain.  She has also spent several years in the field, conducting disease investigations and management of infectious disease breakdowns, (including Foot and Mouth Disease, TB and Brucellosis), carrying out on-farm clinical work and as a veterinary adviser for a veterinary pharmaceutical company.