The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine has released a report on the regulation of veterinary medicine.
The report, announced today (Monday, June 28), identifies key findings and recommendations from four days of hearings with relevant stakeholders between November 2020 and April 2021 to discuss the veterinary medicines regulation which will commence in January 2022.
The Oireachtas committee meetings which led up to his report were in relation to the regulation of veterinary medicines, including the EU Regulation on Veterinary Medicinal Products.
This regulation legislates for the authorisation, use and monitoring of veterinary medicinal products in the EU. It came into effect on January 28, 2019 and applies in all EU Member States from January 2022.
The regulation follows the adoption of a proposal in 2014 to develop “fit-for-purpose” veterinary legislation which would no longer be based on the equivalent human medicines authorisation system.
Fianna Fáil TD Jackie Cahill, the chairperson of the committee, said: “Given the significance of this change the committee agreed to prioritise this issue and hold a series of meetings to examine the challenges facing stakeholders and the changes it will bring to the agriculture sector.
“The committee recognises the role of veterinary practitioners, veterinary pharmacists and licensed merchants in the provision of advice and animal healthcare products,” he added.
“The committee and I would like to express sincere gratitude to every stakeholder that came before the committee to give evidence.”
The Tipperary TD added: “The discussions with stakeholders were critical to the development of this report. From the committee meetings, the shared commitment of all stakeholders in providing excellent services and looking after the health of animals is commendable.”
The report comprises 10 recommendations, which highlight the importance of licenced merchants as an important route of supply of veterinary medicines.
“Some key issues arose in relation to the role of ‘Responsible Persons’; the possibility for anti-competitive practices; and increased costs to farmers,” Cahill highlighted.
“Although we welcome the sentiment of the regulations and what it’s trying to do, the committee and I hope [Minister Charlie McConalogue] will take on board our key findings and recommendations in the implementation process of the regulations,” he concluded.
The committee’s report can be found here.