There are “several options open” to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue in solving the impending issues around the prescription and sale of vet medicines, according to the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA).
From January 1, next year, anthelmintic (antiparasitic) medicines will require a prescription from a vet before they can be purchased.
This has given rise to a whole myriad of concerns, especially over what impact it would have on other providers of these medicines, including licenced merchants.
Pat Farrell, the animal health chairperson of the IFA, said that the minister “must deliver a practical and workable solution for all stakeholders”.
Farrell argued that Minister McConalogue and his officials are “acutely aware” of rejection from farmers, licenced merchants and veterinary pharmacies of putting control in the hands of one service provider who, Farrell claimed, “has a vested economic interest in the supply of these products”.
“In Northern Ireland and our primary export market, Britain, there is no requirement for veterinary involvement in the prescribing of these products,” Farrell pointed out.
“Within the EU legal text of the veterinary medicine regulation, there is ample room to provide a workable solution for all parties.
“To overcome this issue, we must ensure farmers can source these products in a competitive market. Licensed merchants and veterinary pharmacies must continue to play a crucial role in providing advice, guidance and the sale of antiparasitic products,” the IFA animal health chair stressed.
He highlighted that defining these products as prescription only would put the prescriber in a “dominant supply position”, which, he argued, would have a particular impact in areas where there was little or no competition for farm animal veterinary services.
“There are several options open to the minister to resolve this problem. If we are serious about implementing a coordinated national antiparasitic programme, all stakeholders must have the opportunity to participate actively.”
According to Farrell, advances in analytics and laboratory testing provide for a better, more targeted approach to prescribing and usage, rather than assuming that only the vet is capable of making the prescription.
“Farmers fully support the better and more targeted use of antiparasitic products; however, this will not be achieved if control is in the hands of a prescriber who has a significant economic interest in the supply of these products,” he argued.
“It is up to the minister to take on board the views of the vast majority of stakeholders. He must deliver a practical and workable solution to ensure farmers continue to have a competitive system in place to purchase antiparasitic products when needed on their farms,” Farrell concluded.