Vets and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) are at an impasse in relation to the adoption of a new national veterinary prescription system (NVPS), Agriland understands.
The DAFM postponed the introduction of the proposed NVPS from the end of January to June 2022. The interim period will allow for a phased introduction and voluntary uptake of it by vets.
However, new primary legislation will be introduced requiring all veterinary prescriptions to be supplied in an electronic format through the NVPS, the DAFM has confirmed. And, it is expected that this will be the case from June 2022.
One of the aims of the NVPS, according to the DAFM, is to streamline the veterinary medicine prescription/dispensing system in compliance with the requirements of a new EU-wide veterinary medicine regulation (Article 57(4) of EU Reg 2019/6).
One aspect of the regulation requires member states to collect information on antimicrobial usage, to support national and global efforts to reduce the risk of the development of anti-microbial resistance, for the benefit of farmers and society, the DAFM told Agriland.
But Galway-based vet and former president of Veterinary Ireland, Conor Geraghty, has told Agriland that Veterinary Ireland – the representative body for vets – cannot, in good faith, recommend to its members the adoption of the department’s NVPS at this point in time.
Geraghty is a member of a Veterinary Ireland negotiating team that is liaising with the DAFM on this matter, he said.
The talks, so far, are not progressing as smoothly as desired.
According to Geraghty:
“There is no requirement in this [EU] regulation for vets to write an electronic prescription. The reason they are being asked to do so is because there is an onus on the state to gather data on antimicrobial usage.
“That is their job – the state’s – to gather species-specific data, and to know how much antimicrobial is used in pigs, in sheep, in cattle and so on.
“It is a job that they have to do and they are passing that job on to us.”
He said the decision by the DAFM to collect this data at prescription level, rather than farm level, is misguided, and will mean additional work for vets.
“If you are collecting usage data, it should be done at farm level. I could prescribe something for an animal, but that animal might die, for example, and the medicine might not be used; or the bottle might break, and so on,” Geraghty continued.
“They [DAFM] have decided to do it at prescription level and, for some strange reason, they think that we [vets] are going to do this for them for absolutely free.
“That is the first crucial element; there is no-one working for nothing anymore.”
‘Clunky’ system
The second issue, he explained, centres on the fact that the NVPS system that is being offered by the DAFM to vets is not straightforward to use – described as “clunky” – and will cost time and money, despite the DAFM’s assurances to the contrary.
“If I am generating a prescription on my system now – which also, by the way, does my invoicing and VAT – it takes me approximately seven taps of my finger to do so,” Geraghty explained.
“It will take over 50 taps on the DAFM’s system, and I’d still have to do my accounting somewhere else.”
The NVPS itself may be available free of charge but what it will do, ultimately, is put pressure on all veterinary practices to invest in a commercial system that can integrate the NVPS in an efficient manner, Geraghty said.
This will cost practices money, in an indirect way, he said.
Anti-competitive
Additionally, he said, he believes that the NVPS is anti-competitive in that it prohibits veterinary practices from filling prescriptions issued by other vets.
He explained:
“If I write a prescription for a farmer, that farmer can buy the product from a pharmacy, a co-op, or a licensed merchant, but not from another vet.
“Whether right or wrong, I believe this to be anti-competitive,” he said.
State of play
Asked about the status of the NVPS-related negotiations, Geraghty said:
“Where we are at is we have told the DAFM that we can’t recommend to members to get involved with this NVPS until they come back to us with a meaningful proposal.
“They [DAFM] are fully intent on writing an SI (statutory instrument) that will put a legal onus on us to use their system, and if that happens, then we are in full dispute.
“There is no way we can tell our members to go ahead and do all this work for free.
“We are struggling to keep vets in the country, we need to look after them not lump more work on them.”
Veterinary prescription system – DAFM response
When contacted by Agriland, the DAFM said that the NVPS is being developed in consultation with all stakeholders, including veterinary practitioners and dispensers of veterinary medicinal products, and medicated feed.
Addressing some of the aforementioned issues, a spokesperson said that the “continued engagement by practitioners in user testing of the NVPS will ensure that the user experience for all practitioners is optimised when the system becomes mandatory later this year”.
Not just about data collection
The spokesperson pointed out that the function of the NVPS is not simply to collect data.
“It is to help maintain a competitive market for veterinary medicinal products and medicated feed, including providing greater farmer choice in purchasing veterinary-medicine supplies,” they said.
“Furthermore, it will simplify record keeping and, ultimately, protect those in the agri-food sector enabling them to meet their regulatory functions and provide enhanced confidence in Ireland’s overall control mechanisms for our food producing agri-food sector at national and international level.”
The spokesperson continued:
“The use of an integrated system such as the NVPS is an effective and efficient way to allow Ireland to comply with its legal obligation to supply veterinary medicinal product data usage to the EU.”
In relation to the indirect cost on vets associated with the proposed NVPS, the spokesperson said:
“The veterinary prescription system is being developed by the government and will be available free of charge and for use by prescribers and dispensers without a need to purchase any specific software or hardware.”
While primary legislation will require all veterinary prescriptions to be supplied in an electronic format in the future, the use of paper prescriptions in exceptional circumstances will be provided for, the DAFM said.