Tighter controls on the use of veterinary medicines will not completely curtail the flexibility that exists around animal treatments, Veterinary Ireland has insisted.
he new regulations will, however, lead to the more prudent use of antibiotics on farms, said Veterinary Ireland president Conor Geraghty.
The introduction of a new EU-wide regulatory regime from early 2022 is an effort to tackle the serious threat from antimicrobial resistance, and standardise the usage of veterinary medicines across the EU.
The move has sparked concern among livestock farmers, with fears that the changed rules will inevitably drive up veterinary costs.
Mr Geraghty said these concerns were largely overstated.
“Medicines will only be prescribed for current disease outbreaks,” he said.
“If a farmer has a problem with, say, mastitis in his herd, the vet can give a prescription for treatment for whatever number of cows.
“The difference is that the farmer will now have to purchase the tubes within five days of the prescription being issued. In the past he could have held the prescription for up to 12 months.”
The use of antibiotics as a preventative measure is going to be discontinued, Mr Geraghty said. This has implications for the use of dry-cow tubes on dairy farms.
He also warned that some antibiotics could be prohibited from use in animal medicine, or strictly controlled.
The duration for which farmers will be allowed to retain unused medicines has not yet been specified by the Department of Agriculture.
Mr Geraghty stressed that vets will work with farmers to ensure animals receive whatever treatment is needed
The farm organisations have warned that the holding and use of antibiotics on farms will be radically changed under the new regulations.
ICMSA president Pat McCormack called on Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue to immediately intervene and ensure a workable solution .
He said farmer concerns were growing in relation to the cost, the paperwork involved and whether they will be able to properly care for their animals .
Meanwhile, veterinary advice will now be required when using anthelmintic doses and drenches. These will also require a prescription for purchase.
Niamh Muldoon, CEO of the Veterinary Council of Ireland, told the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture that the requirement for a prescription for anti-parasitic medicines represented a very significant change.
Between 2007 and this year Ireland had a derogation from an EU directive requiring farmers to seek veterinary advice when using anthelmintic doses and drenches. However, this derogation is no longer available.