Mr. Terence O'Shea:

I thank Deputy Ring for his comments in support of the merchant and pharmacy industry. I agree with him 100%. The merchant industry provides a valuable service in Ireland and we have done for a long number of years. Osmonds was one of the original companies in Ireland and was there since 1932. It has now exited the business after 85 or 88 years. That was a huge loss. We have taken up the mantra that antiparasitic resistance, APR, is the big issue here. We believe that as merchants, and I am sure the pharmacists and those who represent the co-ops will agree, we are best placed to deliver a response to antiparasitic resistance. We are suitably trained. We are quite happy to have continuous professional development and embrace all the modern technologies. We can deliver if we are included. There is a simple solution to this issue. If the Department recognised the role a responsible person can play as a prescriber of antiparasitics, that would solve the problem. That can be done with the stroke of a pen or one line. It rests with the Minister and his officials. I ask the committee to ensure the message is delivered to the Minister and his officials that this needs to be done. This will secure our future. There are 160,000 farming families in Ireland who will be directly affected by this.