Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

To be clear, I am not asking Mr. Geraghty to comment on the reality of it. My question is whether, from a practical perspective, he thinks it is necessary from the perspective of achieving the objective of reducing overuse of medicines and ensuring there is not antimicrobial or antibiotic resistance. Vets drove this, although I am not suggesting any mala fides. It was the thinking at the time. One might suggest there was an equal tendency among doctors for a number of years to give everyone who came to see them an antibiotic and they would leave happily and pay whatever doctors wanted to be paid. Everybody realises on the veterinary and the human medicine sides that antibiotic use has to be reduced. Is there no scope for training the existing suppliers from the practical point of view of reducing overmedication?