As both a trade union and a trade organisation, affiliated to both the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Small Firms Association, Veterinary Ireland represents its members on topics and issues of the modern Irish vet.

This week’s hastily-convened emergency meeting in the Horse and Jockey clearly shows that vets feel their business is changing significantly.

They are suggesting that normal service will not be possible without the current margin from vaccine sales.

Either the negotiations with the Department and vets broke down a long time ago, or it didn’t go as planned.

The Department seems to be pushing to make vaccines more widely available to farmers, and the upside would be a reduction in antibiotic usage. We will watch developments with interest.