Ms Caroline Garvan:

The reduction is based on data collected by the Health Products Regulatory Authority and submitted to Europe every year. That is the validation for the statement that a 28% reduction has been achieved.

It is important to understand that if a child toes into hospital today the family would like to know that the antibiotic they are given is effective. If we do not reduce the use in animal health, it will impact public health. It is in the top five global public health threats. Ireland is leading the way. We had a Commission audit two weeks ago and it complimented us on how much of a reduction we had achieved. Those figures have been validated and sent to Europe for confirmation. They are accurate.