Patrick J Rogan – chief veterinary officer and devoted public servant

An Appreciation

Paddy Rogan, who died suddenly on May 27th, 2016, aged 69, was a committed veterinarian who enthusiastically dedicated his professional life to the public service. Fiercely loyal to those with whom he worked, and always available to those that he served, his steadfast belief in Ireland’s ability to achieve the highest standards of animal health and welfare, and to deliver unsurpassed standards of food safety, underpinned his tireless drive and determination to achieve those goals.

Paddy was born in Greystones in September 1946. His secondary education was as a boarder with the Jesuits at Clongowes Wood College, an education for which he had great respect. He subsequently graduated from University College Dublin with a veterinary degree in 1969, and went into large-animal veterinary practice in Wicklow and in Clonakilty, west Cork. It was in Clonakilty that he was to meet his wife-to-be, Adrienne. From there he went to Saskatchewan, to a farm practice on the Canadian Prairies. He credited his Canadian experience with giving him new insights into the role and interaction of the professional veterinarian with the farming community, lessons that would remain with him and influence him throughout his entire career.

In 1977, on his return to Ireland, Paddy joined the Veterinary Service of the Department of Agriculture as a veterinary inspector. He is reputed to have said on his first day that he would become chief veterinary officer. That had always been his objective as his father, Patrick A Rogan, was the chief veterinary officer from 1948 to 1959, though he had died when Paddy was only 12. While Paddy started his career as an “official veterinarian” in a meat enterprise, it was not long afterwards that he was transferred to Agriculture House as the professional assistant to the then chief veterinary officer, a coveted position which showed the early respect with which he was held and one that would define his future career path.

As that subsequent career progressed he had a variety of responsibilities in the fields of animal health and veterinary public health. While his principal interest always was veterinary public health, he particularly enjoyed his role in contingency planning for the exotic animal diseases and in related training exercises. But his greatest love was the numerous times he acted as media spokesperson for the veterinary services of the department, a role which he carried out with distinction.

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It was with great pride in 2002 that Paddy achieved his lifelong ambition and was appointed chief veterinary officer (CVO). Not long after that he went to Paris to represent Ireland at the General Assembly of the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE). Before he left he showed his colleagues a black-and-white photo of his father at that same event some 50 years before. As chief veterinary officer Paddy gained great respect, both internationally and from his European counterparts, for his practical and thoughtful interventions on the many problems they addressed. The respect which he gained contributed significantly to Ireland maintaining its trade flows during times of difficulty, not least during the dioxin crisis in 2008. During his later years he was made vice-president of the OIE Regional Commission for Europe. At home he served as a governor of the Irish Equine Foundation and as a member of the Veterinary Council.

Tragically a serious foot condition plagued his life from 2001 to his death. This was no ordinary condition, a condition the root cause of which was never really identified, but one which deprived him of ordinary mobility and left him prone to life-threatening septicaemia. Throughout his frequent trips to hospital and his many different treatments, he remained determined to soldier on, and his continuous belief was that he could get the problems involved resolved. It was a measure of his commitment to public service that his health never deterred him from his many trips to Brussels, to other European capitals and to the many countries around the world with which Ireland traded. His commitment to demonstrating the high standards of food safety and traceability in Ireland and to maintaining markets for Irish products was immense.

He retired in 2011, and greatly enjoyed his renewed family time, particularly his time with his grandchildren and, to the extent that his condition allowed him, his garden and his culinary pursuits. He was deeply committed to and immensely proud of his family. His condition, however, continued to threaten him until he finally agreed to have an amputation to avoid such future life-threatening situations. Tragically, despite the success of that procedure, his untimely death did not give him the time to adjust to what should have been a new lease of life. Paddy was a larger-than-life person. You could not help but notice him, listen to his views and agree or disagree, sometimes at your peril! Yet despite this he had a reputation in private of being a great mentor with concern for one’s wellbeing. To his family, his many friends, and to those with whom he worked and served, his passing leaves a large void. He shall be missed for his great humour, his down-to-earth opinions, his countless stories of wars won and lost, and his very colourful jokes. But most of all he shall be missed for being Paddy, the great character. Paddy is survived by his wife Adrienne, his children Steph and Jon, and his six grandchildren.