Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Does Mr. Ó Scanaill not accept that ownership and control are important? Is it is the case that ownership is not the focus of the Veterinary Council? If Mr. Ó Scanaill is saying he does not care who owns a veterinary practice and it is fine if Donald Trump wants to buy a practice, people will have a problem because they will feel the code of ethics may not be as followed as strictly as it would be if the practice was owned by vets who have trained and have a complete knowledge of the industry. That is the issue. For Mr. Ó Scanaill to say he does not care who owns a practice seems to sidestep the issue. The council has a responsibility. Surely its responsibility is to make sure everything is done correctly and not simply say it does not care who owns a practice as along as everything is done correctly. What about a practice requiring its vets to use only particular medicines? We discussed earlier the issue of closed loops in the farming industry in terms of beef production. If one has a similar situation in a veterinary practice, how well will that work in the long term? To say one does not care who owns a practice is to slightly step outside where the council needs to be. If it is to be in control, it must care who owns a practice.