Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In fairness, Mr. Corkery is telling us that the Department is bringing in legislation to try to reduce the use of different remedies and that once a year a veterinarian is going to give the Department a foolscap page of what he or she might want. Let us be honest and fair; Mr. Corkery might think that is a constructive way of going about reducing the use of antibiotics. We take milk samples approximately six times per year. We take faeces samples to dictate our dosing regime. Mr. Corkery is telling me that I can have a foolscap page of anything I might want and that is the reason the Department is bringing in this proposed legislation. As has been said, we are creating a monopoly on who will control it. Mr. Corkery is saying a veterinarian will give a prescription. That will not last. Once this proposed legislation comes into force, that 12-month prescription will not last a year.