From Monday 1 December, Irish farmers will see a major change in how they access antiparasitic products, as new regulations under the national veterinary prescription system (NVPS) finally come into force.

Although originally announced to start in 2022, the rollout has been repeatedly delayed. So, at this point, many farmers are blissfully unaware that prescriptions will now be required for a wide range of antiparasitic treatments, including pour-ons, injectables, drenches and certain combination products.

Under the new rules, antiparasitics for cattle, sheep and other livestock can no longer be purchased without a valid veterinary prescription.

This applies whether farmers buy products from their local co-op, licensed merchants, pharmacies or veterinary practices.

The goal of the NVPS is to bring antiparasitic use in line with best-practice recommendations, reduce resistance and ensure treatments remain effective for future generations of farmers.

What does that mean for us on the ground?

Basically, before you can buy your wormers, flukicides or any of the usual antiparasitic products, you’ll need a vet to issue you a prescription through the NVPS.

That could be done during your routine herd or flock health visit or you might have to ring the vet to arrange a quick consultation.

The vet may want to look at your treatment history, grazing plan and maybe recommend a faecal egg count, especially if you’re trying to cut back on unnecessary dosing.

Once you have the prescription, you’re not stuck buying from the vet who wrote it. You can still go to your co-op, local merchant, chemist or the vet’s own counter - whoever you normally deal with, as long as they’re registered on NVPS and have trained responsible persons who is qualified to dispense the products.

The prescription will be digital, more than likely sent to you via text or email, so you won’t be fumbling around the car or digging through pockets full of receipts trying to find it.

Where can you get your products now?

Pretty much the same places as before - just with an extra step in the middle. Merchants and co-ops will continue stocking the products - they just won’t be able to hand them over without your 16-digit NVPS script number.

The responsible person will have to log in to the NVPS portal in order to dispense the product and this is before they generate the invoice which they always had to do. All this will take time, so a little forward planning and patience on behalf of the farmer/animal keeper may be needed.

Will it be useful?

Let’s be honest - most of us see this as one more job added to the growing mountain of paperwork and regulation farming seems to attract these days.

It’s another thing to remember, another phone call to make, another hoop to jump through.

But there’s also the bigger picture. Resistance to wormers is getting worse every year and once a product stops working, it’s gone for good.

The idea here is that by bringing vets more into the loop and cutting out blanket dosing, we’ll protect the treatments we have and keep them working longer. Healthier animals, better performance, fewer wasted treatments - that’s the hope anyway.

So, while this marks the start of a change most of us didn’t exactly ask for, it could end up doing more good than harm in the long run.

For now, the best thing is simple: talk to your vet, get your prescriptions sorted early and give yourself time to get used to the new system.