Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue must work with his northern counterpart Gordon Lyons to launch a full, all-Ireland investigation into rogue veterinarian practices providing anti-microbial products in an improper manner, Sinn Féin’s agriculture spokesperson Matt Carthy has said.

He made the call following an Irish Farmers Journal investigation, which shows slack controls on the sale of antibiotics in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

“A new European regulation intended to combat anti-microbial resistance may well see all veterinary medicinal products require a veterinarian prescription from the beginning of next year in this state,” said Carthy.

Blind eye

“Over the past number of months, the Oireachtas agriculture committee has heard from those in the licensed merchant sector as to how they fear for their businesses if this occurs.

“Here we have genuine businesses being banned from plying their trade, while, at the same time, it appears that a blind eye is being turned to rogue actors in the sector.

“This disparages all those veterinarian practices that properly adhere to regulations and I commend those practices who refused to dispense to the journalists involved.

“The correct dispensing of anti-microbial products is crucial for human health as much as animal welfare.”