Tom Barry (Cork East, Fine Gael)

I welcome this opportunity to speak on the Bill. It broadly highlights how Ireland leads the way in animal welfare and in its practical approach to regulation. I congratulate the Minister on his approach.

This is a progressive, practical and common sense Bill which brings the experience of those working on the ground to the forefront, with the primary role of ensuring good animal health. I have farmed for many years and I have experienced the build-up of regulation over the past 20 years. Sometimes, we gave out about it and found it was over-burdensome. In the Bill, the Minister clearly sets out his stall, which is that while he wants regulation he wants it to be practical. This gives great confidence to everyone.

I congratulate the veterinary profession on being 250 years old, which is of some note, and it is more than 100 years since the profession was established in this country. Animal health care and the role of the veterinary profession encompasses a large spectrum, from working with farmers such as me to inspecting food in industries at a processing level. The main goal is to ensure we have safe traceable food, because this is what the consumer demands and is entitled to. Food Harvest 2020 commits to producing high-quality safe food at a competitive price and having robust regulatory procedures will help to achieve this goal.

I welcome the Minister's comments that he does not want to see regulatory procedures becoming unduly restrictive or over-burdensome on the industry. This is very important as in the past regulations have become a bottleneck to progress. One could state that at one stage regulation was a boom industry in itself in the State, while we had banking sector with no regulation. It shows how our agriculture has pushed forward and made huge strides because it had practical regulation while our banking sector went out of control and left us in the mess we are in. However, agriculture is one of the sectors that will pull us out of this and we must be positive in this regard.

The Bill will build on the 2005 Act. We now have more than 500 registered veterinary nurses and five colleges accredited to train them. This shows us that we have the confidence to train people and that we know what we need to get our industry working. It is a snapshot of the strength of Ireland's educational system; we continue to produce high-quality graduates in all fields including agriculture. Many other countries look to Ireland's high-quality production of milk, cheeses and beef and would like to emulate what has taken us decades to achieve. However, it is not all about rules. It is about the industry understanding where it needs to go, having targets and respecting every layer from the farmer to the fork. We have this environment in Ireland along with a sense of purpose about what we need to do.

The Bill contains procedures, such as bovine hoof trimming and scanning animals, which can be carried out by suitably trained people who do not necessarily have to be vets or veterinary nurses. This is important because there is no point in adding additional costs to farmers or tying up the time of professionals on procedures which can be carried out by suitably trained people. It is also appropriate that there will be proper consultation with the Veterinarian Council of Ireland before any exemptions are allowed; the Minister is bringing people with him.

The Bill gives us confidence in how the profession is regulated and takes into account exemptions for horses coming from abroad on short trips. The training requirements in the Bill will be recognised throughout the EU. I have worked with the veterinary profession for many years and have always considered its members to be highly professional in their approach, sympathetic to farmers who land in trouble and always seeking to help farmers achieve better standards. I welcome the Bill and I thank the Minister for taking another step along the way to achieving the targets of Food Harvest 2020.

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