Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the work of the Minister and his staff in the Department in progressing this Bill. It has come in for detailed discussion at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which I am privileged to chair.

Antimicrobial resistance is a major issue that must be addressed. I have full confidence in the Minister that when we eventually pass the legislation in this House, it will achieve its objectives. Human health is paramount and we must do whatever we can to improve it. Antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem, not just for animal health but for human health. This is one of the main purposes behind this Bill. It is one of the main reasons that I fully support the Minister in his endeavours to get this legislation through the Dáil. The Bill will be on Committee Stage shortly when we will work on it and make sure that it is fit for purpose.

The point Deputy Kelly made about cross-Border trade will be an issue. It will also be an issue with fertiliser. I am strongly of the view that a 32-county approach is far better for all aspects of food production, no more so than in the sale of veterinary medicines and fertiliser. I hope it is something that we can progress. We are where we are, and we must make sure that we are doing the job correctly here. Farmers will buy into this legislation as they see it is the right route to go.

The Minister is fully committed to making sure that co-ops, private merchants, feed mills and pharmacies have the ability to sell these products going forward. A vet will prescribe. I know the Minister is working hard to ensure that a protocol will be in place to allow the availability of products in these outlets. That is essential to ensure competition and that there is no monopoly in existence. The NVPS will be adopted under the legislation. That must be done. I, for one, would not argue that a vet must prescribe all these products, but we can still do that and allow a variety of outlets.

I suggest to the Minister that a farmer-operated app is essential to go along with this legislation so that a farmer will be able to use the app to contact a veterinarian, whether one operating at a distance or his own vet, someone with knowledge of his herd, and get back a prescription and then he would have a variety of outlets to go to purchase whatever product he wants.

We have heard discussion in recent weeks about vaccines and where they will fit in with this legislation. It is essential that the availability of vaccines is not restricted under it and that they are more widely used than heretofore, given that prevention is better than cure. We talked about the purpose of the Bill being to reduce antimicrobial resistance. The next generation is farming with me. The reality is that in the past we always dosed according to the calendar. We dosed at turnout, and a month or six weeks after putting cattle into the shed, but the next generation takes swabs from faeces or uses milk samples to determine the level of disease present and what level of dosing is necessary. One practical example of that is fluke. Regimentally, we always dosed for fluke a month or six weeks after housing. My son operates on the basis of the various tests, whether post mortems of cattle that have gone to the factory, or from the milk bulk sample test. If he can see there is no fluke present in the herd, there is no need to dose. That is a good management tool in not building up resistance in the herd, but it is also a cost-saving measure for the farmer. Knowledge is king in how we deal with this issue going forward. The more knowledge at the disposal of farmers and veterinarians in prescribing for the herd, the greater our ability to reduce the usage of these products and to achieve the goals we have set out. The Minister fully understands the complexity of the industry, and ensuring that these products are available under the supervision of a veterinary prescription. I look forward to Committee Stage when we can ensure the legislation is fit for purpose as quickly as possible.

The national fertiliser database is essential for us to maintain our derogation, which is hugely important to intensive beef farmers and the dairy industry. The Minister is working hard to ensure this country maintains its derogation. We must put the database in place. We have introduced banding from 1 January, which is a requirement for us to hold on to our derogation. We are unique in our ability to grow grass in this country. That is the way we can produce sustainable food. It would be a sorry day if our stocking rate was restricted as it would undermine the sustainability of our food production.

The Minister was exceptionally keen to introduce this database from 1 January but we are now into the middle of February. He is impatient to introduce it as quickly as possible. It is essential for him to win our argument on maintaining our derogation. It is to be hoped that following today's debate the Bill can go to Committee Stage as quickly as possible. I assure him we will get it through that Stage as quickly as is feasible. These two separate legislative Parts are linked in the Bill and it is important to get them on the Statute Book. As I said, human health is the topmost concern. Our green image and ability to produce green food can only be enhanced by this legislation. The fertiliser database is an essential part of our fight against climate change and maintaining our derogation status.

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