Mr. Michael Maloney:

I will address the cribs about quality assurance and the percentage of animals on which premiums are paid. It is not fully understood that it is called a quality assurance premium, but there are additional requirements over and above being a member of a quality assurance scheme to be met to allow animals to qualify for the premium.

However, there are additional requirements over and above being members of a quality assurance scheme to enable animals to qualify for the premium. That leads to a certain degree of frustration. It is called a quality assurance premium and quality assurance is one of the criteria required to be met to enable the premium to be paid, but there are other criteria related to the age of the animal, the fat score, the confirmation of the animal, the number of movements and so on. If he or she meets all of the criteria, the farmer qualifies for the premium. We have set up the quality assurance scheme in such a way that all animals from a quality assured farm are quality assured. To qualify for the premium, the additional requirements have to be met.

Reference was made to dairying and the concerns about antimicrobials and antibiotics. That is a concern, but we have addressed it in our quality assurance scheme. There is increasing concern and we continue to promote and monitor the responsible use of antibiotics on farms. A big part of the focus of auditors when they conduct an audit is ensuring the correct remedies are used, as well as the correct dosage. If antibiotics are under or overused or not used for the correct period, it leads to antimicrobial resistance. A significant part of the audit is focused on the correct use of antibiotics. A national action plan to tackle antimicrobial resistance has been launched by the Government. Bord Bia is part of the plan. We will liaise with the other stakeholders to ensure this issue which is of increasing concern is addressed as fully as possible.