Concerned agri merchants have formed an association to voice their concerns about proposed regulations that will require farmers to have a prescription to buy commonly used veterinary products by 2022.

The group met in Galway this week to discuss its position and agree upon the text of a document that sets out its concerns.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has accepted proposed EU legislation that will require all veterinary medicines pertaining to livestock to be traded with a prescription by 2022. That would include everyday medicines such as wormers, fluke products and lice treatments.

While HPRA regulates veterinary medicines, the Department of Agriculture is tasked with introducing the legislation and is seeking submissions before the end of February.

Cost and competition

The IFA has insisted that any legislation cannot add unnecessary costs or lead to reduced competition in the market. It has raised the issue many times with MEPs and senior Department officials.

Pat Farrell IFA animal health chair said: “It is incumbent on the Department of Agriculture that prescribing by suitably qualified persons (SQP) is facilitated in the new regulation to maintain competition in the supply of anthelmintic and antiparasitic products and ensure consistency in access to veterinary medicines on the island of Ireland”.

“If the recommendations of HPRA are to be acted on, which outline the importance of a multi stakeholder approach, this SQP prescribing is a key component”.

The merchants in the association support the IFA’s position.

A spokesperson for the group said that licensed merchants have undertaken significant training in the area of responsible use of veterinary medicines in recent years and invested significantly in upgrading IT and recording software to monitor sales of products.

The new association of merchants feels that they should be recognised as SQPs, as they are in Northern Ireland and Britain, where licensed merchants can prescribe veterinary medicines.