Prescription to dose cattle a step too far - ICSA

ANY tightening of veterinary regulations for performing basic farming functions will come as another 'hammer blow' to hard pressed farmers, says ICSA animal health and welfare chair Hugh Farrell.

From 2022, it is proposed that farmers will need a veterinary prescription to treat their livestock with ordinary wormers and doses.

“This is a step too far and is likely to lead to more problems than it could ever hope to resolve,” said Mr. Farrell.

Currently, anthelmintics (wormers) and ectoparasitic drugs (used to treat or control external parasites) can be purchased by farmers from any licenced merchant. However, under current proposals from the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), from January 2022, farmers will have to obtain a veterinary prescription to access these treatments.

Said Mr. Farrell: “There is no justification for putting farmers through the added inconvenience of seeking out and paying for prescriptions to carry out basic farming functions. The system works perfectly well as it is, with trained licenced merchants perfectly capable of advising and dispensing, according to all relevant guidelines.

“All this will do is add a further layer of unnecessary bureaucracy for farmers trying to do the best for their animals.”

He continued: “The reduction in competition for the supply of these treatments will also no doubt lead to price increases for the products. It will put jobs at risk and will create another monopoly for farmers to deal with. This is on top of the veterinary prescription costs.

“More worryingly, it could have a catastrophic knock-on effect on animal welfare. Putting up barriers between farmers and their ability to tend to the basic needs of their animals is counterproductive in the extreme and ICSA will be strenuously opposing this move.

“To add insult to injury, these changes are coming off the back of an EU directive, which again highlights the hypocrisy of regulating European farmers to within an inch of their lives while turning a blind eye on sub-standard food imports. This is particularly galling when we consider the vast quantities of beef coming into Europe from South American countries which have been shown to flout even basic food safety controls.”