Suckler and sheep farmer Tom Boyd, from Carrickfinn, west Donegal is faced with losing his local vet in 2019.

“Due to new Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) guidelines our vet has told us he will not be providing a veterinary service to our area because it wouldn’t be financially viable with travel expenses to visit us once a month,” Boyd told the Irish Farmers Journal.

The new guidelines outline a 30-day rule coming into effect this year, whereby a vet must have visited a farm within 30 days in order to issue antibiotics or veterinary care. The guidelines aim to target antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and “motorway vets” who sell antibiotics in bulk to farmers according the VCI.

However, Tom Boyd, who keeps 40 suckler cows and 100 breeding ewes with his brother David, says the guidelines have created a huge animal welfare issue.

“We’ve just started calving and if something goes wrong, without a vet it could result in a dead cow and calf,” Boyd said.

“He also won’t give us antibiotics if he hasn’t seen us within 30 days.

“It takes him an hour to get to us and there isn’t another vet in the region. Farmers close to the border are just considering using vets from Northern Ireland, but we’re so far west that’s not an option for us.”

While the vet in question wished to remain anonymous, the Irish Farmers Journal has seen a letter from his practice to the VCI outlining his concerns and stating that he would be forced to withdraw services from remote island regions of Donegal.

This newspaper has also seen a letter from Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh to Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed stating his concern and the impact the 30-day guidelines could potentially have on Donegal and other counties.

McHugh adds that more security is needed for vets that they won’t be penalised for not adhering to the new guidelines.

“I have noted the ‘leeway’ referred to by the VCI which is most welcome,” McHugh states.

“However this is not included in the guidelines and Mr X (the vet) has been advised by his insurance company that they will not cover his practice unless this ‘leeway’ is included in the guidelines.”

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