Merchants urging minister to 'press pause' on new vet medicine rules

“Farmers will ultimately be the losers if this goes through as many co-ops, licensed merchants, and Acorn group branches simply won’t be able to continue to retail veterinary/medicinal products."

In a meeting due to take place this week, merchants will urge Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue to "press pause" on new veterinary medicine rules.

In a joint statement, the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS), the Independent Licensed Merchants Association (ILMA), and Acorn Independent Merchants have said an industry meeting will take place on Tuesday in Tullamore, Co Offaly, to discuss the minister’s imminent signing of the Veterinary Medicinal Products, Medicated Feed and Fertilisers Regulation Bill.

They have said that if this is signed as is, it "will effectively legislate all licensed merchants out of business".

The merchants said: “We are very annoyed and frustrated with the minister and his approach to this legislation. We have constructively interacted with him and his officials over the last three years and worked out a fair and practical approach to enacting the medicinal/veterinary legislation.

“The minister needs to immediately press pause on this whole process as all operators need to be able to continue their respective business, but above all farmers need easy access to and healthy competition for veterinary medicinal products.

“Over 70% of all veterinary medicinal products are currently sold through veterinary channels and the minister wants to legislate further regulation to increase this even more, effectively handing a monopoly to the veterinary channels.

“Farmers will ultimately be the losers if this goes through as many co-ops, licensed merchants, and Acorn group branches simply won’t be able to continue to retail veterinary/medicinal products.” 

'No communication'

Irish Farmers' Association animal health chairman TJ Maher said that discussions on this legislation have to include farmers. 

"The Department of Agriculture would do well to remember that it is farmers who purchase these products and it is farmers who will be directly impacted in our daily management of our animals by the contents of the final statutory instrument (SI)," Mr Maher said.

“When finalised, it’s vital that the SI maximises competition in the supply and sale of veterinary medicinal products. This means ensuring all current suppliers remain actively involved in the process.

"The key factors that influence this are the prescribing process and validity period of the prescription.

"The draft SI which we discussed in January required all prescribing vets to develop a parasite control programme for the farm regardless of the level of knowledge the vet had of the farm.

This would add unnecessary cost and bureaucracy to the prescribing process and ultimately, the cost for farmers. 

"In addition, the SI proposed a validity period of only three months for a prescription for antiparasitic products as opposed to the current 12 months. Again, this adds further cost for farmers and diminishes the opportunity to competitively source these medicines."

According to Mr Maher, allowing a licensed merchant to hire the services of a consultant vet to prescribe for farmers in the SI is a "positive step for larger merchants and co-ops who have the resources to engage these vets".

However, he warned: "Smaller licensed merchants would be effectively frozen out - as would veterinary pharmacies who are not allowed engage in this practice."

Final stages

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue said in recent days that preparation of the regulations is in its final stages. 

"My department has engaged with all stakeholders in preparation of the regulations over a prolonged period of time," he said. 

"I most recently met with representatives of Veterinary Ireland on July 16, at which they expanded on concerns they had. 

"The issues raised by all the stakeholders, including Veterinary Ireland, are being considered further."