Pat Moylan (Fianna Fail)

I welcome Ms Doyle to the House. She raised some important points, including the matter of the veterinary medicines directive. In the past we had major problems with the wildlife directive, which came through in a similar fashion, unannounced until it was already the law. I am aware this directive is in the pipeline. Ms Doyle briefly mentioned the possibility of an annual veterinary certificate for farmers. Can this be done? If so, it is the only way to go. Farmers who have always used certain products to treat maladies, such as blackleg, will no longer be able to use them. That has major implications for our farmers.

The other point she mentioned was a closed shop from the veterinary side. Many of those employed in veterinary medicine, who sell what they are entitled to sell, are now in trouble. The co-operatives are in trouble as they will be unable to sell those medicines. As legislators we must do something about this. Ms Doyle is MEP for my constituency of Laoighis-Offaly, part of which is not classified as severely handicapped. Part of the constituency qualified for inclusion in the BMW region as it is classified disadvantaged. I urge Ms Doyle to do whatever she can to ensure that the rest of Laoighis-Offaly is included in the BMW region.

Having listened to MEPs speak about the raft of legislation with which they have to deal, I suggest more use be made of the Committee of the Regions. Many of those directives could be promoted by the committee because its members are also members of local authorities who have interaction with regional authorities and county councils. In that way, we would be more up to speed on what is happening. The veterinary medicines directive has been foisted on us and will cause serious problems. I thanks Ms Doyle for an outstanding presentation.