Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 March 2021
1251. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding the dispensing of medicinal items; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16308/21]
View answerI want to emphasise at the outset that all stakeholders, including Responsible Persons who are employed by Licensed Merchants, who are currently permitted to sell veterinary medicines under national legislation, such as cattle dosing medicines, will continue to be able to sell and dispense such medicines following the new veterinary medicines Regulation coming into effect in January 2022. There are no proposals being considered that will alter that situation.
However, from January 2022 antiparasitic veterinary medicines will require a veterinary prescription before they can be sold.
In 2019, the Health Product Regulatory Authority (HPRA) established a Task Force to review the method of supply of antiparasitic veterinary medicines that are intended for food-producing animals against the criteria set out in European law. These criteria have remained largely unchanged in Regulation 2019/6. A copy of the report is available on the HPRA’s website www.hpra.ie.
It concluded that the scientific evidence of resistance to antiparasitic veterinary medicines present in food-producing animals now available is compelling and stark and present a real risk to animal rearing and food production in grass based systems. Arising from this, antiparasitic veterinary medicines must require a veterinary prescription before they can be dispensed from January 2022.
My Department’s interpretation of Regulation Article 105(4) is that Ireland is not in a position to avail of the derogation which allows persons other than registered veterinary practitioners to issue veterinary prescriptions. This view has been informed through consideration by policy officials, consultation with the EU Commission and with internal legal advisors.
However, given the range of stakeholder views on Article 105(4), the Department committed to seeking further legal advice from the Attorney General’s Office which was submitted in late 2020 and is receiving attention in that office currently.
It is the intention of my Department to make a statement on the matter to all stakeholders when received.
Several stakeholders, including Licensed Merchants, have raised concerns about anti-parasitic resistance and also the potential impact of this change in regulation. To address this, my Department has established an Antiparasitic Resistance Stakeholder Group which is chaired by the Chief Veterinary Officer. This group has an extensive work programme which is on-going and its considerations are being guided by two principal objectives:
- Protecting the efficacy of antiparasitics which are critical to the Irish pasture-based production model.
- Establishing a regulatory system that is pragmatic, retains a substantive role for existing stakeholders and delivers value for money for farmers.
