Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister's statement that in the great majority of cases the advice of a vet will be sought. I also acknowledge that sometimes it simply will not be possible to get the advice of a vet. However, in rural areas in these times it is easier to get a vet out than a doctor. In the middle of the night or at weekends, when one calls a vet, in my experience, he or she attends. When one calls a doctor, one is put onto an answering machine. That is the horrible reality.