Disease levies to be cut by 50%

ANIMAL disease levies are set to be reduced by 50% from January 1.

Agriculture and Food Minister Mary Coughlan announced the cut at the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association’s annual general meeting in Limerick.

She told delegates she had received Government agreement to seek Oireachtas approval for regulations to fix the rates of levy at 0.06 cent per gallon of milk for processing and €1.27 per animal slaughtered or exported live.

Ms Coughlan said these amounts are worth €5 million a year to farmers. Together with earlier cuts, they are worth a total of €15m a year.

She said the reductions were possible because of continuing improvement in the disease situation, particularly in the case of brucellosis, in recent years.

The total number of animals removed as brucellosis and TB reactors fell by almost 22,000 in 2005 compared with 2002 and, as a consequence, operational costs of the schemes are falling.

Regarding veterinary medicines, Ms Coughlan said a decision was taken some time ago following a report by the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) that intramammaries containing antibiotics should be made prescription only.

Ms Coughlan said while intramammaries will technically become subject to prescriptions from January 1 next, they will in practice continue to be available off-prescription until January 1, 2008, because of the transitional arrangements agreed between the department, the IMB and industry.