Senator fears 'price rise' with new regulation on antiparasitic medicines
New regulations on antiparasitic veterinary medicines set to come into effect on September 1, will result in an "inevitable price rise", a senator has warned.
A veterinary prescription will be required for all antiparasitic veterinary medicinal products for food producing animals in Ireland from the beginning of September to comply with EU legislation.
But the Fine Gael senator, PJ Murphy, is concerned that the new regulations on antiparasitics for food producing animals could "lead to an increase in the purchasing of these medicines through black market sources".
Senator Murphy said: "These are a large number of remedies used on farms on a day-to-day basis, such as sheep dip, dry cow mastitis tubes and ivermectin that is used for treating cattle for worms, fluke and lice.
"These products are currently available over the counter and have been for many years.
"The products are on the market under tight Department of Agriculture control and experienced well-trained staff provide advice to farmers at the point of sale".
He fears the fact that from September all antiparasitic veterinary drugs will be prescription only could "result in their under use leading to severe animal welfare concerns".
He said under the legislation, prescribing must be undertaken by veterinary practitioners, who are also permitted to sell and dispense these products.
"There is no requirement for vets to keep prescribing and dispensing separate from one another, creating a concerning conflict of interest.
"This shift is not just a regulatory update. It is an economic and structural seismic shift to the many small independent licensed traders across this country," Senator Murphy added.
The senator also referenced the Independent Licensed Merchants Association, which represents 350 of smaller merchants nationwide and has said that "only 38 of its members can remain in business under these new rules".
According to Senator Murphy the reason for the prescription change is that "we need to combat antimicrobial resistance" by ensuring responsible use of medicines through mandatory prescriptions.
The new regulations are also aimed at improving traceability and oversight via the national veterinary prescription system which requires all prescriptions to be on a central controlled database.
But he said that as a "person who has worked my whole life in the cattle farming sector and administered these medications on thousands of occasions" farmers are not in a habit of overusing expensive medications and do not use them when they are not necessary.
Senator Murphy added: "While the goals of health and EU compliance are important, implementation must reflect Irish rural reality.
"Without safeguards for independent merchants, this regulation risks creating a dangerous monopoly in the veterinary medicine distribution sector".
He is now calling on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to delay the implementation of the regulations and conduct a full and independent review into the proposed changes.
