This was one clear message from vet Dr Doreen Corridan at the Bord Bia/ICOS-organised dairy quality assurance meeting in Corrin Mart, near Fermoy, on Tuesday night.

“Antibiotics for both human and animals are often over prescribed and often not used correctly. If a sick animal has no high temperature then there is often no need to use an antibiotic,” she said.

When she was pushed on what restrictions might come in the future in the fight against drug resistance, she suggested that some of the well-known drugs used by farmers might be taken off the market and retained for human use only. She highlighted that antibiotics from the Cefalonium family, the Amoxicillin and the Marbofloxacin family could be restricted.

Also at the meeting, Michael Houlihan, quality assurance manager with Bord Bia, confirmed the revised beef and lamb QA scheme will be launched in early 2017. He explained that the biggest change will be to organise the scheme similar to the dairy assurance scheme introduced in 2014, and that some sustainability measures will be included. He confirmed little or no new information needs to be gathered as it is all being collected already. A new section in relation to pesticides will also be included.

At the meeting, Michael presented figures suggesting over 90% of beef, over 75% of lamb and over 75% of dairy is now coming under the Bord Bia quality assurance schemes. Some farmers in the audience called for an independent appeals process, clarification on what records were required, and more consistency between inspectors. Tommy Moyles, a beef farmer from Clonakilty, and Sean Kearney, a dairy farmer from near Michelstown, also gave presentations on how they manage compliance and record keeping for the Bord Bia quality assurance scheme.

The second Bord Bia/ICOS quality assurance meeting takes place on Wednesday night in Kilkenny.

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