The ICMSA has called on Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to “radically revise” the implementation of the new veterinary medicine regulations scheduled to be introduced next January.

ICMSA president Pat McCormack said that farmer concerns around the cost, efficiency and administrative workload of the new regulations are growing.

“We have to say that this looks very like another case of bureaucrats telling both the farmers who own the animals, and the vets who treat the animals, what they’re doing wrong,” McCormack said.

“The net effect of these new regulations will make it more difficult for farmers to access and assess veterinary medicines in a timely and cost-efficient manner. Surely we should be working towards that end.”

Form filling

The ICMSA warns that the new regulations will not improve antibiotic and wormer practices on farm.

“There’s a bigger problem here and it’s really high time that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine understood it,” McCormack continued.

“The answer to every problem or perceived problem is not to load more form filling and bureaucracy on the farmers who already have the least time to do it.

“The answer can’t be to just pass along a financial cost and obligation to the same group.”