Merchants Alliance Ireland has welcomed the move from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to defer the requirement for antiparasitic veterinary medicine to be provided with a prescription.

The introduction of this requirement for antiparasitic medicines has been deferred until September 1.

From September 1, a veterinary prescription will be required for all antiparasitic veterinary medicinal products for food producing animals.

The implementation date has been moved to acknowledge the significant change required in moving to digital prescribing for both prescribers and retailers of veterinary medicines, and also farmers, according to the department.

Welcoming the news, Merchants Alliance Ireland has once again called for an "urgent" meeting with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon on the new requirement.

However, the representative group of veterinary medicine suppliers has said the minister "has so far not responded" to the request to meet on the issues of antiparasitic medicines.

Merchants Alliance Ireland was formed earlier this year by the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS), Irish Licensed Merchants Association (ILMA) and Acorn Independent Merchants, which collectively represent over 550 outlets employing over 4,000 people across Ireland.

While each organisation, and its members, remain independent, the alliance represents mutually shared interests on any areas of joint concern for the agricultural merchants and retail sector, including on matters related to the dispensing of veterinary medicines, and the accreditation of responsible persons to provide those medicines.

Commenting on the decision from the department to defer the requirement for antiparasitics, the alliance said: "Merchants Alliance Ireland welcomes the decision...to defer signing the proposed statutory instrument, which would reclassify anti-parasitic medicines as prescription-only medicines (POM) until September.

"This deferral clearly signals that there are significant unresolved issues with the current approach, issues that, if unaddressed, could have devastating consequences for the agri-retail network, rural employment, and farmer access to essential animal health products," a statement from Merchants Alliance Ireland claimed.

The group said that this latest move from the department to defer the prescription requirement for antiparasitic medicines "creates a critical opportunity for meaningful engagement" with the minister.

Some of the issues that remain to be discussed, according to the group, include a "lack of prescribing guidance" from the Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI); limited uptake of the new National Veterinary Prescription Service (NVPS); and the "disproportionate impact" the new rule would have on licenced merchants and farmers".

"A collaborative approach is essential to ensure regulatory compliance while protecting rural livelihoods and maintaining competitive, accessible supply chains," the alliance said.

The group claimed that many businesses involved in the dispensing of veterinary medicines "face closure" unless Minister Heydon suspends the statutory instrument putting the prescription-only rule into force, and "engages with the sector immediately".

The alliance said that the minister "has so far not responded to requests to meet with regard to the proposed statutory instrument".