Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for the opportunity to speak on the Bill.

A derogation that would have allowed for responsible persons to continue to dispense some veterinary medicinal products, VMPs, without a veterinary prescription was not availed of by the Government. As the Minister knows full well, it led to a lengthy debate on the future of the role of the responsible persons under the new regulation, and the impact this could have on licensed merchants, co-ops and rural economies in general.

The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine heard that if this sector of the rural economy was, effectively, to be disempowered, animal welfare could also suffer through a lack of responsible persons and the services they provide through co-ops and licensed merchants.

Another aspect of the same issue concerns the knowledge value of responsible persons and the depth of knowledge they have about the local area, and of health trends on certain farms or within certain flocks and herds. If the role of such people was made redundant, an important skill set would be lost to farms. An important source of information would be gone and rural Ireland would have another challenge to overcome.

The Minister will be aware the committee was told how when similar regulations were introduced relating to anti-inflammatory products, a subsequent 90% decrease of sales of these products was witnessed in co-ops. This is a not a trend we want replicated. All of this has led to numerous discussions about the value of responsible persons, co-ops and licensed merchants, each of whom has an in-depth knowledge of the local area. This knowledge cannot be easily replicated and covers qualifications that should not be rendered useless. While there are indications that the evidence given to the committee, and discussed elsewhere, has impressed upon the Minister that the role and contribution of these experts should be maintained, the Bill we are discussing still does not expressly say how this will be delivered or what role will be there for the responsible persons.

Nobody is arguing against the need to tackle antimicrobial or antiparasitic resistance. Rural Ireland and the quality of the food we consume in the State are dependent on the protection of these medicines. We need to take an approach that works for rural Ireland’s economy, that works for animal health, and that works to ensure the viability of the medication we are discussing. When it comes to herd health plans, we cannot be allowed to dismiss the role played by licensed merchants, co-ops, pharmacies and so on. It is good that the Minister has acknowledged this but a plan needs to be outlined, which I will get to shortly.

The other matter of concern within the agriculture community is in the area of competition and the ability of farmers to shop around after getting the veterinary prescription as demanded under the planned system. Some farmers are likely to feel obliged to purchase these medicines from the vet, given that under the legislation, they must get their prescription from vets. This is where the NVPS came into the picture. It still does not take away from the fact that some farmers would feel unable to look their vet in the eye if they were to get the prescription from them but were then to shop for the product elsewhere. It is human nature.

We now understand that the Minister would like to address the concerns I have referred to through a measure outside the legislative arena. This would involve the VCI and the development of a new annexe to accompany its code of practice. In essence, it would enable vets to prescribe without a client-patient-practice relationship presence for farmed ruminant animals, including equines, that are under herd health plans operated by local merchants, co-ops and pharmacies. Of course, this would not involve antibiotics but it would allow professionals within the co-ops and pharmacies who work with individual farmers to prescribe or dispense antiparasitic and vaccine VMPs. If there is a failure or some inability to get this done, then it could be introduced to the legislation, and Sinn Féin will seek to get this added to the legislation on Committee Stage. Allowing for the management and dispensing of antiparasitic products and vaccines under herd health plans managed by professionals in their area seems like common sense. It would benefit farmers and rural communities, and would be of benefit when it comes to animal health.

Another concern I have with the Bill, which is related to the issue I have just addressed, is the lack of an all-island approach to the prescribing and dispensing of VMPs. The derogation I mentioned earlier was not adopted by the Government, but was adopted by Westminster and, therefore, two different regimes will emerge on the same island. The risk to animal health is real in such a circumstance, with knowledge gaps in what has and has not been administered to animals. This would have a knock-on effect to our food standards. This is another reason to work on refining the Bill, as I have suggested.

I will turn to the national fertiliser database. Similar to the importance of ensuring the viability of antiparasitic products, vaccines and antibiotics, monitoring the use of fertiliser is a key factor in meeting our environmental goals. However, the lack of an all-island approach again throws the purpose of the database into question. For example, in some areas a supplier from across the Border may be the nearest for a farmer in the Republic. Concerns were also expressed at the use of data and the volume gathered.

I look forward to having a discussion on all of these matters when the Bill is examined further on Committee Stage. Equally, I hope the Minister will work with the committee on finding the best way forward for rural communities, farm families and the animals that are under their care.

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