Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

I wish to share time with Deputies Connolly and James Breen.

We come across bizarre and ridiculous legislation and this is certainly in that category. In law, a pharmacist can dispense an anti-worm or an anthelmintic for a child without a prescription but under the law he will not be able to give the same drug for an animal. Animals are full of worms. Therefore farmers will look for these medicines constantly. They will have to find a veterinary practitioner to get a prescription and then pay the vet. In this regard, every farmer will be robbed. The best lambs are worth approximately €30 to €40 and a prescription from a veterinary practitioner, if one can be found, will cost the same amount. What are farmers likely to do in such cases? The animal concerned will not be treated and disease will abound.

One would need a helicopter to find a veterinary practitioner in County Mayo, the third largest county in Ireland. How will farmers get to the veterinary practitioner to get this prescription? It is utter madness. People will not treat their animals and fluke and worms will thrive if the farmers must go through this punishment to get a prescription. Fluke kills animals and can cause infestation in humans. There will be great spread of disease.

Veterinary practitioners will have the market to themselves, will charge what they like and will dispense the medicines. My local chemist has told me he has received only one or two prescriptions from veterinary practitioners in 17 years.

Already antibiotics are controlled. What is the point of all of this? This appears to be the Hanly plan for animals. The Government will dismantle the infrastructure. It will take out a tier of a system used by farmers to treat animals and drive people into the big centres of populations such as Castlebar, Ballina, Westport. How many farmers will be left after that? We know what the Hanly plan did for humans. This plan will wipe out farmers.

Another example is spot-on, a pour-on for lice in cattle and animals. Chemists cannot sell it for use on dogs or cats, but one can use it to pour on cattle and sheep. The rationale behind this is that it might enter the food chain but unless one lives in a dog-eating or cat-eating jurisdiction, this is ridiculous because it does not affect the food chain.

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