Dairy farmers will need to provide milk recording data in order to buy dry cow tubes when new European rules on antibiotics come into force in January 2022.

Currently medicines for food producing animals are available by prescription only. However there was an exemption for co-ops and milk purchasers to supply medicines through their agri trading businesses.

Under the new rules, a vet employed by the milk purchaser will be able to diagnose and prescribe intramammory dry cow antibiotics on the basis of milk data, without the need for a clinical visit. An ICOS circular to co-ops suggests that milk recording is likely to be the only practical source of individual animal data.

The Irish Farmers Journalunderstands that the Department of Agriculture will be reviewing the regulation that facilitates mastitis control programmes in co-ops.

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EU Commission tightens rules on veterinary medicines