Dosing changes will need watching

THE Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue, has been advised to ‘keep his eye on the ball’ in relation to EU regulations coming down the track for the sourcing of livestock dosing treatments.

According to the IFA, new EU regulations due to come into force in 2022, would require farmers to get a prescription for a range of products including anthelmintics, used for the treatment of fluke and worms in cattle and sheep.

IFA Animal Health Chairman, Pat Farrell, said the new EU Veterinary Medicine Regulation had the potential to severely impact on competition in the supply of anthelmintics to farmers.

He also warned that because of a derogation in place in Northern Ireland as regards anthelmintics, the EU regulations would mean a two-tier supply system on the island of Ireland, leading to unregulated movement of products.

Galway IFA Animal Health Committee Chairman, Stephen Canavan, told the Farming Tribune, that the IFA wanted a continuation of the system where the stores and co-ops would have a suitable qualified person (SQP) to deal with the selling of such products.

“This regulation, if implemented in 2022, would have serious implications for farmers in carrying out their day-to-day farm work where for example they have dosing programmes in places for their livestock. We most certainly want the Minister for Agriculture and the Department to keep their eye on the ball on this issue.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app

The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.