Vol. 507 No. 4
5 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will review the 1996 animal remedies regulations to allow the controlled provision of synchronisation services to farmers through the veterinary supervised artificial insemination service in order to improve the quality of Irish beef. [16983/99]
Devices used for the synchronisation of oestrus in bovines are animal remedies that contain hormones and that may be marketed in Ireland and elsewhere in the EU under a specific exception to the EU hormone ban. The relevant EU legislation, however, attaches strict conditions to the availability of these animal remedies. As a result, they are designated as prescription only medicines by the Irish Medicines Board which is the licensing authority for Ireland.
The Animal Remedies Regulations, 1996, which govern, inter alia, how medicines are prescribed, have been in operation for nearly three years. My Department has been engaged in reviewing the operation of the legislation generally, including in relation to this type of animal remedy. In doing so, account is being taken of the various views expressed on the practical impact of the legislation and of the need to ensure that efforts aimed at improving the quality of the national herd are not unduly hampered.
There has been wide-ranging consultation and it is hoped that the review will be completed shortly. I should, however, emphasise that it is not intended to fundamentally alter the thrust of the legislation. Any adjustments must be consistent with the relevant EU legislation and with the maintenance of the highest possible standards of public and animal health protection.
Does the Minister accept that the Irish beef industry is in crisis? The recent McKinsey report and the An Bord Bia report outlined that only 17 per cent of the national kill was suitable for European markets. Does the Minister agree that we have a serious problem? What is the Government doing about that? In the early 1990s 40 per cent of the national kill would have qualified for the European market. Therefore, this is a major decline. If the percentage falls below 17 per cent there will be no beef sector. What is the Government doing about this?
We are moving a little outside the content of the question.
I understand the Deputy's point and I understand the difficulties for the suckler herds, synchronisation, bringing the animals together and operating systems. There is a problem here because there is an EU rule on a hormone ban and they contain hormones. We are trying to be as sympathetic as possible to the needs of the farmers who have suckler herds and the AI centres. I will have two meetings with those organisations to see how we can work around it. I appreciate what the Deputy said because we will improve the animal breeding area in the suckler herds if we can get it sorted out. We have seen the availability of scrub bulls and inferior bulls travelling around with suckler herds, and there is no encouragement to bring them in because of the workload it involves for farmers. I understand the Deputy's point and the problems he outlines.
Why can the French Government operate without restrictions from the EU? How many licensed AI stations are there in Ireland? There are a massive number of unlicensed AI stations. What will the Government do about that?
We are moving outside the scope of the question.
Of late, the Opposition does not seem to have been that well briefed, but Deputy Ring seems to have been well briefed on this. There is a certain amount of relaxation on the part of the French and we are looking at that.
We do not know the half of it.
I have given a promise that we will try to relax that, and that will help. There are eight licensed AI stations and the Deputy will be aware that there has been a review of that arising from an EU court case. There is a new scene in AI where there is a great deal of DIY. Therefore, we must be careful and we must look at the system. It is not my responsibility. It is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Davern, and I do not want to cross his path.
Passing the buck.
