3% drop in sale of animal health products
This was disclosed yesterday by the Animal and Plant Health Association (APHA), the representative body for manufacturers and sole distributors of animal health and plant health products.
APHA director Declan O’Brien said that the animal health market is, to a great extent, influenced by prevailing climatic conditions.
The relatively mild conditions experienced in 2003 led to a small decline in farmers’ requirements for products. Animals were out to grass early in the spring and remained on grass well into the autumn.
As such, they required less medical intervention.
Mr O’Brien said the sheep external parasiticide market returned to normal in 2003 following the very wet conditions of 2002, which largely prevented fly strike. Wormer sales dropped by 6% and vaccine sales declined by 5%. Sales of injectable, oral and intramammary antibiotics dropped by about 8%. The good conditions for animals saw fluid replacement therapy sales drop by over 10%.
In the overall context of the market, wormers account for 27% of the market, with vaccines making up 20%.
No other sector accounts for more than 10% of the market. “The overall use of vaccines has expanded over the last number of years but we are concerned at the 5% drop in sales witnessed in 2003.
“Farmers and their advisers need to be very much aware that in order to maintain a low level of disease, robust vaccination programmes must be followed on a continuous basis.
“There is still considerable scope for expansion in the vaccine market as many animals are not receiving a full range of routine vaccines.
“As in any walk of life, prevention is much better than cure and the animal health industry strongly advocates the protection of animal health and welfare by the use of vaccines wherever possible,” he said.
