Mr. Conor O'Mahony:

As the Minister of State outlined in regard to the reported drop-off in intermammary sales, there are slightly different practices and behaviours with regard to antimicrobials, which are more of a just-in-time method of purchasing by farmers on foot of a prescription with a short validity period, versus being able to pre-plan the dosing regime much further in advance than would be the case for antimicrobials.

One of the key elements of the NVPS, its design and how we are going to implement it relates to ensuring that farmers have as much choice as possible. A farmer can, for example, be associated with more than one veterinary practice and he has availability and flexibility in regard to getting a prescription. He is not tied to one vet from whom he can get a prescription. There is a choice in terms of both the prescribers he or she can go to, once there is a relationship with the prescribing vet, and the dispensing outlets where he or she may purchase his antiparasitics.

We are trying to build as much flexibility as possible into how the NVPS is designed, from both a technical and a practical point of view, in order that a farmer will have choice in regard to both prescribers and dispensers. That is one of the steps we are taking to mitigate, insofar as possible, any limitations a farmer may feel he or she has, because there is more flexibility within the system, in how he or she obtains medicinal products under the proposed NVPS.