Dr. J.G. Beechinor:

Basically, resistance can occur because of different factors. These include parasitic factors and management factors like too-frequent dosing or under-dosing, cloud factors, sub-therapeutic drug levels after initial dosing and so on. Our understanding of some of these issues has increased over the years. We believe that this is the time to deal with it and we welcome the fact that the Department has set up this coalition of interested parties because ultimately we all have to work together. We are all pretty much on the same side here in understanding that we must respond to the scientific evidence that has emerged. None of us has a monopoly on wisdom. Farming is changing, climate change is happening and so the way in which the parasite expresses itself is changing. Is it the parasite? Is it the change in management?

Is it the fact herd sizes have increased? All of these put pressure on the resources we have. In some cases maybe we do not need a chemotherapy agent at all. Maybe the investment in the next generation of chemotherapy agents will be in the vaccines area. We currently have a vaccine for hoose and, to respond to an earlier question on incentivisation, there is research ongoing and the new regulation puts in data protection provisions to incentivise the development of new molecules. There is not one single factor in this but rather a multitude of factors. This is the best chance we have to get it right.