Walsh ‘to publish bill on veterinary practice’

A VETERINARY Practice Bill, on which the Department of Agriculture and Food has been working for the past two years, is expected to be published by Minister Joe Walsh before he leaves office on Wednesday.

It will replace and update current legislation governing the practice of veterinary medicine, much of which dates from the 1930s.

Minister Walsh said it will introduce new elements of account-ability and transparency into governance of the profession.

It will contain a number of features designed to bring various aspects of veterinary medicine practice into line with what modern society would expect today and in the years ahead.

“This is an area of increasing importance as far as the agri-food industry, consumers and those involved with the care and keeping of animals are concerned.

“It is essential that the legislation which governs this area reflects the legitimate expectations, aspirations and concerns not just of the veterinary profession itself but also of the many stakeholders with whom it interacts and of society at large,” he said. Minister Walsh said it is important that veterinary surgeons, and indeed veterinary nurses, will in the years ahead operate within a legislative framework which more closely reflects the modern Ireland.

It must also promote best practice, progressive thinking and ongoing development within the profession. He was confident the upcoming Bill will provide that framework.

Minister Walsh was speaking during a visit to the Department’s flagship new laboratory complex, now being completed at Backweston, Co Kildare. It will be ready for occupation in the first quarter of next year.

Located on a landscaped campus which it shares with the recently completed State Laboratories, it will bring together a number of different scientific divisions dealing with food quality control and animal health into a single new complex.

Designed to house up to 300 staff in 25,000 square metres of laboratory, office and support spaces, the new complex includes containment suites for dealing with controlled pathogens.

Minister Walsh said that with ongoing developments in new technology, control systems are becoming increasingly laboratory based. The Department must be positioned to meet the new challenges.