Mr. Conor Geraghty:

The first issue raised is the packaging. The decision to make the products prescription-only medicines from the end of January 2022 was taken in 2019 through the enactment of the regulation from Europe. The HPRA then decided that derogation could not be applied for. The products referred to by the Senator will be prescription only from 2022. The issues being discussed here are regarding route of supply and whether there will be decoupling. As part of the regulation from Europe they will be prescription-only medicines.

The Senator asked whether we will have vets on farms weighing animals. That is not the way a prescription works. If we prescribe something, we are prescribing a product that is required. If a product is required for a subset of animals on a farm, it will be prescribed and the dose rate will be so many millilitres or so many grams per kilo live weight. I do not think it has ever been envisaged that a doctor would go in and administer a medicine himself or herself, and the same will apply to this. I am not aware of any suggestion that vets will be on farms weighing and dosing cattle.