Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

Many agricultural issues have been raised here and it is crucial we follow up on everything. We are entering a new stage of production and the need for a vet in each area is crucial. I know as a farmer that when farming was going badly, it was just as hard on the vet as on farmers. Vets had to wait for their money and might only get it two or three years after providing a service.

I am delighted with the increase in milk, beef and sheep production and that some practices are being exempted. It is critical that some traditional family businesses, such as hoof-paring and scanning, can be continued and allowed to grow and create jobs. Several Members spoke about the education of our vets. No disrespect to anyone, but I am aware from my area that people could not understand some vets who came into the area. It is a serious loss to our education system that we are not providing more vets, particularly since we are a country with such high standards. As an illustration of just how high our agricultural standards are, I learned when at the ploughing championships that some 300 students from China are to come to Ireland next year to be educated in farm practices. I urge all those who spoke so passionately about this issue to follow up on it.

The issue of the disposal of horses and their use for meat must be addressed at EU level. I would hope this is taken up because €3,500 multiplied by 1,000 would be a significant amount. The suggestion of a cull is a very good idea, because we will have the same problem again when the winter comes.

Deputy Browne asked why the Department decided to use the Veterinary Practice Act as a vehicle for exempting certain practices rather than the Animal Welfare Act. The reason is simple, namely that the difficulty that needs to be redressed results from the definition of "veterinary practice" in the Veterinary Practice Act 2005 and the problem can only be addressed through an amendment to the Act.

A significant number of issues and questions have been raised in this debate and it would be wrong not to follow up on these. We must ensure the growth in agriculture continues along with best practice in the veterinary area. I thank colleagues for their constructive participation in the debate.

As I explained in my opening speech, the amendments proposed in the Bill can be divided into two broad strands. The first strand derives from the relatively broad definition of "the practice of veterinary medicine" in the 2005 Act and the need to ensure that certain ancillary activities and services concerning animals, which have traditionally been carried out safely by non-vets or nurses, do not become reserved to the veterinary profession. In this context, I refer in particular to procedures such as farriery, equine dentistry, bovine hoof trimming, micro-chipping of companion animals, scanning of cattle and sheep and physiotherapy. The legal advice obtained by the Department is that, having regard to the existing definition of veterinary practice in the Act, there could be doubt about the status of these procedures carried out on animals, particularly in the event of legal disputes arising.

In summary, I propose to resolve the issue by inserting provisions into the Act to enable me, under delegated powers, to make regulations to exempt certain procedures from being reserved to veterinarians or veterinary nurses. The amendments also provide for these exemptions to be made subject to appropriate conditions, including education, training and skills, membership of specified bodies and so on. In so doing, the process will build on existing informal arrangements in some of the areas in question and it will provide clients with a greater degree of quality assurance. It will also facilitate, where appropriate, the specification of the parameters associated with particular procedures which can be performed by non-registered persons, which will bring a much greater degree of legal certainty to the area.

Clearly, in exercising these regulation making powers, I will be subject to the principles and policies which are set down in the Bill. We can, of course, examine these principles and policies in much greater detail on Committee Stage. The Bill also provides for formal consultation with the Veterinary Council of Ireland before any activity is exempted. There will also be extensive consultation with the various stakeholders before any regulations are adopted.

The second strand in the Bill relates, in summary, to changes being proposed to streamline and improve operation of the 2005 Act in light of experience since its implementation in January 2006. In the majority of cases, the changes proposed derive from suggestions put forward by the Veterinary Council of Ireland, based on its direct experience of implementing the 2005 Act. The proposed amendments also take account of more recent legislation governing regulation of the professions, in particular, the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 and the Pharmacy Act 2007.

As I indicated in my opening statement, the Department has consulted widely on the Bill and there is a general welcome among the various stakeholders that the substantive issue of the ancillary activities is being addressed. This broad consensus is reflected in the contributions made in the debate today. I am not particularly surprised that there is some disagreement about some of the detailed provisions in the Bill and we can deal with the issues raised on Committee stage. The door is not closed and it is important people know that.

See this speech in context