Agri merchants in Offaly breathe sigh of relief after prescriptions decision
Independent TD for Laois Offaly Carol Nolan has said that she is cautiously welcoming the decision by the Department of Agriculture to introduce a National Veterinary Prescription System (NVPS) following a meeting of the Anti-Parasitic Resistance (APR) Stakeholder Group.
Deputy Nolan, who has worked in close consultation with agricultural licensed merchants for the past 18 months to find a resolution to the challenges facing the sector, said that everything must now be done to ensure that the new regulatory regime would retain the capacity of Responsible Persons (RPs) to prescribe and sell anti-parasitic veterinary medicines after the new deferred deadline of June 2022.
“The entire licensed merchant sector has been under incredible pressure because of the imminent application of the EU Directive that would have destabilised their business model entirely.
"Thankfully the decision taken, while not the end of the road, at least opens up space for the possibility of a more flexible regulatory approach.
"We will wait and see until the details of the proposal are made clearer, but for now at least there is a certain degree of relief and that is welcome,” concluded Deputy Nolan.