Mr. Finbarr Murphy:

I thank the committee for the opportunity to meet it. Private veterinary practitioners, PVPs, play a central role in Ireland's agrifood sector, our largest indigenous industry. Veterinary practitioners are the gatekeepers of animal health and welfare in Ireland. There are approximately 1,000 food animal veterinary practitioners providing services to the agrifood industry countrywide. They do so under four key pillars: provision of services to animals in need of veterinary care; on-farm risk assessments and advisory services; animal welfare; and public health.

Every farmer has a relationship with a vet established over time and documented in the ER1 form.

A recent survey by Animal Health Ireland shows that 93% of farmers are very satisfied with the scientific advice and recommendations given to them by PVPs.

Vets are renowned as problem-solvers in the variety of on-farm situations that can occur. PVPs have a proven track record in their ability to communicate with farmers, whether it involves passing on difficult messages or transferring knowledge. The relationship between a farmer and his or her vet is based on a long-standing trust built over many interactions, both formal and informal. The vet is in a unique position to understand farm management systems and local relationships, geographical and personal, that can have an impact on disease management success. Livestock farmers value this resource which is available locally in every parish in Ireland.

Vets play a central role in veterinary public health and food safety. Healthy animals provide quality safe food. The vets' role in maintaining herd health on their clients' farms ensures Ireland’s place as a leading exporter of high-quality safe food. Vets are also the gatekeepers and stewards of antibiotic usage on farms and continue the drive towards relative reduction in use through herd health programmes, disease prevention advice, vaccination and knowledge transfer. The 200% increase in vaccination use over the past decade, combined with a static usage of antimicrobials despite an expanding animal population, is an indicator of vets' role in disease prevention measures on farms resulting in better public health outcomes.

PVPs are a fundamental part of operating the eradication programme on Irish farms. TB is a zoonotic disease capable of being transmitted from animals to humans, either directly or as a foodborne disease. Members of many families in Ireland have historically suffered from TB, commonly known as consumption. Thankfully, TB in humans in Ireland is now a relatively rare occurrence thanks to the major reduction in TB in cattle, among other measures. In addition to the human health benefits of controlling TB in cattle, an eradication programme is also essential to facilitate trade.

Veterinary Ireland is a committed stakeholder on the TB stakeholder forum which is currently having discussions on disease control policy options to eradicate bovine TB by 2030. Achieving officially brucellosis free status in 2009 was a major milestone and demonstrates what can be achieved when all stakeholders work together using sound scientific principles. The veterinary profession facilitated this process through implementation of the animal health computer system, AHCS, on the ground in 2004. Each herd test delivers an on-farm audit of bovine animal traceability. This auditing service is provided to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine by PVPs without financial support. The AHCS allows real-time tracing of high-risk animals, preventing further disease outbreaks in destination herds. In addition, vets provide disease management and biosecurity advice to farmers on a regular basis. This reduces the likelihood of disease outbreaks, including TB.

Approximately 600 members of the veterinary profession are employed on a part-time basis by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide meat inspection services to the agrifood industry, ensuring our meat can be exported to markets all over the world. These temporary veterinary inspectors also provide surveillance for the TB programme and Beef HealthCheck. Our members look forward to working with all stakeholders to continue the progress towards TB eradication and initiatives to achieve this goal in a timely manner.

Veterinary Ireland would like to take the opportunity to thank the joint committee for its interest in the significant changes made by the Veterinary Council of Ireland to the code of professional conduct for veterinary practitioners in December 2017 and the implications of these changes for the practice of veterinary medicine. Veterinary Ireland highlighted its concerns on this issue in its submission to the joint committee dated 25 January 2018. The effect of the changes made unilaterally by the outgoing Veterinary Council of Ireland was to effectively deregulate the ownership of veterinary practice and by extension the practice of veterinary medicine. Veterinary Ireland would welcome the support of the joint committee in ensuring that we maintain the current high standards of veterinary practice and that lay corporate interests are not allowed to undermine this proven system for the delivery of veterinary services to farmers and the public.

This system has stood the test of time and is well regarded. At present, veterinary practitioners provide a 24-7, 365-day-a-year service to all parts of Ireland. Current practice is community-based, with an ongoing empathy with clients and their animals. This service is provided by vets who are part of the fabric of the community. Lay corporate ownership and control of veterinary practice would have profound implications for the future provision of veterinary services in Ireland. These would include monopolisation by corporate bodies leading to a narrowing of competition, increased fees and a reduction in credit terms to the public, as well as insufficient out-of-hours cover in rural areas and significantly increased fees for provision of these services. Vets employed by corporate bodies will be constrained to use only the drugs and services of vertically integrated corporate groups that own pharmaceutical companies, laboratories, referral hospitals and crematoria. This can compromise vets' professional discretion. Vets will be required to work to protocols established by corporate bodies to maximise returns. Investigation and treatment regimes will be dictated by management to maximise profit. This can compromise ethical standards.

The veterinary profession in Ireland has a largely unblemished record in the provision of a first-class veterinary service to the Irish public. It also underpins a world-renowned agrifood export industry worth more than €13 billion annually, based on high standards of animal health, welfare and food safety. This successful formula should not be endangered by the radical changes that will come about should lay corporate ownership and control of veterinary practice be permitted.