Prescriptions ‘unworkable’

ALL mastitis control programmes must extend over a full year to be effective, and Minister Mary Coughlan’s proposed six-month prescriptions for intramammaries are unworkable, said Dominic Cronin, Chairperson of ICMSA’s Dairy Committee, reacting to clarification of next week’s changes in national legislation.

“The Minister must introduce a regime that will allow farmers and co-ops to continue to operate mastitis control programmes without having to get a prescription every six months”, he said.

He welcomed the clearance for co-ops and other licensed merchants to sell prescription-only medicines, particular intramammaries.