The Department of Agriculture has confirmed that farmers are allowed hold a quantity of veterinary medicine products on-farm for emergency use, according to the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA).
However, IFA animal health chair TJ Maher said: “Vets are not providing this service to their farmer customers due to either a lack of understanding of the clearly set out Department of Agriculture guidance on the issue or in an attempt to add further costs to the process for farmers.”
He said the provision of veterinary medicines for on-farm emergency use is particularly important during periods such as calving and lambing when both farmers and vets are extremely busy.
Describing the current situation, Maher said that while progress has been made in relation to the new EU veterinary medicines regulations, there is more to do to ensure farmers have fair and competitive access to the necessary products to treat their animals when required.
Ensure
The IFA animal health chair called on the Department of Agriculture to ensure all vets correctly reflect the agreements reached on the emergency use issue.
“Farmers work tirelessly to protect and maintain the health and welfare of animals under their care.
“The assurances provided to [the] IFA that farmers will have access to vital treatment tools must be clearly set out by the Department to ensure farmers have equal access to services throughout the country,” he said.
Anti-parasitic products
Noting Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue’s decision to defer implementation of the prescribing requirement for anti-parasitic products until June 2022, Maher said that it was a “practical approach”, but warned that “meaningful engagement with stakeholders will be essential to resolve competitive supply concerns for antiparasitic products”.
He said: “All stakeholders including farmers, license merchants and veterinary pharmacies are prepared to put in the work to find a practical solution to address the competitive supply concerns through the vehicle of the antiparasitic resistance stakeholder group.
“The active involvement of licensed merchant and veterinary pharmacy expertise and the availability of new technology within the sector will be vital for effective parasite control and management on farms.”
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