Roscommon-based agri-tech company VetPal Technology has been named Start-Up of the Year in Enterprise Ireland’s 2026 Innovation Arena Awards at the National Ploughing Championships.
The company received the award following a live final at the Innovation Arena in Screggan, Co Offaly, on Tuesday afternoon.
VetPal takes home a €10,000 prize along with mentoring and advisory supports from Enterprise Ireland.
The Roscommon company has developed a digital platform for managing veterinary prescriptions across the animal health supply chain, connecting farmers, vets, co-ops, merchants and pharmacies through one compliant system.
The platform is fully integrated with the Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Prescription System and was developed in response to new EU regulations requiring veterinary prescriptions for treatments which had previously been available over the counter.
Enterprise Ireland said VetPal’s system is designed to reduce administration for veterinary practices and retailers while helping farmers retain access to treatments and supporting more efficient prescribing.
Since launching in December 2025, VetPal has been adopted by the majority of Ireland’s licensed animal remedy stores, with thousands of farmers now receiving prescriptions through the platform.
The company has also introduced multi-branch support for store groups, e-commerce and ERP integrations, while newer AI-powered tools are aimed at reducing administrative workloads and improving clinical efficiency.
VetPal was one of three finalists in the Start-Up of the Year category, alongside Monaghan-based FURROW and RT Sales Limited from Kerry.
A total of 12 finalists competed across four categories in this year’s Innovation Arena Awards.
MastiTrak, developed by MTU students, won Young Innovator of the Year, Kildare company TERRA NutriTECH took the Green Impact Award, while Kilkenny-based Telenostic was named Innovation Arena Champion.
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke congratulated the winners and said the Innovation Arena continued to provide an important platform for Irish agricultural innovation.
More than 40 Irish agri-tech companies are exhibiting in the Innovation Arena throughout this week’s National Ploughing Championships.
