Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 402: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason she proposes to confine prescription writing to vets only under the veterinary medicine regulations; if she will view this move as anti-competitive and as a result increase the costs of animal medicines; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26612/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The draft regulations on veterinary medicines which were circulated by my Department in August for consultation are designed to give effect to EU Directive 2004/28 and to reform aspects of the existing national regime. I am aware of the views that have been expressed about the possible impact of the draft regulations on competition in the supply of veterinary medicines, in particular, from the requirement in the EU directive that all veterinary medicines for food producing animals must be subject to prescriptions. However, the directive also includes a provision for exemption criteria to be adopted at EU level, which will provide a mechanism for certain categories of medicines to be exempted from the prescription requirement. The EU has not yet adopted a decision on the exemption criteria but must do so before 1 January 2007. Pending this decision, existing national prescription and distribution arrangements may remain in place.

It is my intention to avail of the exemption clause to the maximum extent possible and my Department has made a submission to the European Commission with a view to retaining "off prescription" in Ireland all products, other than intramammaries, which currently enjoy this status. The draft regulations published by my Department provide that veterinary medicines, such as wormers and certain vaccines, will continue to be available off prescription for the time being and in practice this means that, apart from intramammaries, we are retaining the essence of our existing national prescription and distribution regime. In view of this, it is not necessary at this stage, for competition reasons, to extend the range of persons who may be permitted to prescribe. I will, however, review the regulations and in particular the provisions relating to the categories of persons who would be permitted to prescribe medicines in the light of the exemption criteria that are agreed at EU level in due course.