Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:

"—notes that the draft regulations relating to veterinary medicines circulated by the Department of Agriculture and Food for consultation with the animal remedies consultative committee and stakeholders are designed both to implement changes arising from a review of existing national legislation and to transpose EU Directive 2004/28 into national law;

—agrees that the objective of the new regime should be to put in place a workable system for the distribution of medicines within the parameters of the EU directive while at the same time protecting public and animal health, minimising costs for producers and facilitating export trade;

—accepts that the existing national prescribing arrangements should remain in place pending the adoption at EU level of criteria for exemption of certain medicines from the requirement that all medicines for food producing animals become prescription only;

—notes the provisions to simplify procedures for writing prescriptions and provide for greater competition in the market for veterinary medicines;

—notes the undertakings by the Minister for Agriculture and Food to review the arrangements for prescribing veterinary medicines in the light of the outcome of the EU decision on the exemption criteria with a view to ensuring competition in the marketplace while also protecting public and animal health; and

—accordingly approves the overall approach being taken by the Minister for Agriculture and Food in relation to veterinary medicines."

The motion proposed for debate this evening demonstrates in a stark manner a serious misunderstanding on the part of its proposers of the draft regulations which my Department published and circulated for consultation on 10 August last. It also fails to take account of public statements which I have already made on the draft regulations and in reply to parliamentary questions in the House in which I clearly set out the scope of these regulations.

The position is that these regulations are primarily designed to transpose EU Directive 2004/28, which provides, inter alia, for all veterinary medicines for food producing animals to be made subject to prescriptions. However, the directive also includes a provision for exemption criteria to be adopted at EU level which will provide a mechanism for certain categories of medicines to be exempted from the prescription requirement. The European Union has not yet adopted a decision on the exemption criteria but must do so before 1 January 2007. Pending this decision, existing national prescription and distribution arrangements can remain in place.

I have made clear that I intend to avail of the exemption clause to the maximum extent possible and my Department has made a submission to the European Commission with a view to retaining off prescription in Ireland all products, other than intramammaries, containing antibiotics which currently enjoy this status. Under the draft regulations published by my Department, veterinary medicines such as wormers and certain vaccines would continue to be available off prescription for the time being and, in practice, apart from intramammaries, we would retain the essence of our existing national prescription and distribution regime. In light of this, it would be unwise at this stage to extend the range of persons who may be permitted to prescribe.

I have already stated publicly on numerous occasions that I will review the regulations, in particular the provisions relating to the categories of persons who would be permitted to prescribe veterinary medicines in light of the outcome of the exemption criteria, with a view to ensuring competition in the marketplace and avoiding the imposition of unnecessary costs on farmers.

See this speech in context