Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Speaking as a Minister of State in the Department, I assure the Deputy that our focus is the farmer, animal health, the ability of farmers to sell their produce, and the wider food and drink industry, which at 14% of GDP is worth a great deal to our rural economy. From the perspective of animal health, food health and our reputation, ensuring antiparasitics are still of use to us down the line is critical to our farmers. If we get this wrong, we will do them a great disservice. That is our focus.

Regarding the Deputy's point on the availability of vets, a prescription for an antiparasitic lasts 12 months. At home, we plan this out. I could tell the Deputy the times of the year when we generally apply antiparasitics. There will be times when we react to an animal's symptoms, but it is usually planned.