County Roscommon company wins €10,000 'Start-Up of the Year’ prize

VetPal Technology was this afternoon named as the winner of the ‘Start-Up of the Year’ Award in Enterprise Ireland’s 2026 Innovation Arena competition at the National Ploughing Championships.

The County Roscommon based innovators received their award, which includes a €10,000 prize as well as mentoring and advisory supports, after a live final at the Innovation Arena this afternoon (Tuesday) for their innovation, which digitialises veterinary prescription management across the animal health supply chain. 

VetPal Technology was founded by Alan Gormley MVB, a practising veterinary surgeon from Derrane, Roscommon, with co-founder Colm Murphy. “I've prescribed as a vet, I've bought as a farmer, and I've stood at the store counter,” Alan says.

A qualified vet for over ten years and from a farming background at Derrane, Alan has worked in a mixed-animal practice, mainly cattle, sheep and horses. He moved home over the past few years and has been doing locum work in local practices while developing VetPal, a platform that connects farmers, farm stores and co-ops, and vets all in one place. It came about because of the big legislation change on December 1st, 2025, under which a farmer now needs a prescription to buy doses at their local store or co-op.

“The regulation was always going to land. The only question was whether it would work when it was implemented — and VetPal has helped make that compliance a reality,” Alan told the Roscommon Herald.

Peter Burke TD, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, said, "The Innovation Arena continues to be an incredibly important platform for Irish agri innovation, bringing together entrepreneurs, researchers and businesses who are all focused on developing solutions for the future of this important sector. At a time when global agriculture and food face significant opportunities and challenges, the solutions showcased in this year’s Innovation Arena will be critical in driving productivity and competitiveness. I would like to thank Enterprise Ireland and the NPA for their continued dedication to this important initiative. And I would like to congratulate all of this year’s winners, finalists and exhibitors for their work and solutions which will benefit farms and communities at home and around the world."

Speaking at the opening day of the Innovation Arena, Jenny Melia, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, said, “Ireland is synonymous with innovation and agriculture globally, and the ingenuity and expertise of our innovators has resulted in our agricultural sector earning a reputation for delivering sustainable and productive solutions which are helping to solve the sector’s biggest challenges. These companies are also predominantly regionally based in towns and communities across Ireland, so as well as transforming the agritech sector, they are also driving growth and having an impact in local economies the length and breadth of the country. On behalf of Enterprise Ireland, I want to congratulate all the winners, exhibitors and finalists in this year’s Innovation Arena and thank them for their commitment to excellence and for being at the forefront of change.”