Danny Healy-Rae Defends Local Vet Service Amid SI Concerns
Danny Healy-Rae spoke about the impact of a statutory instrument (SI) on rural veterinary services, defending a local supplier and urging protection for farmers' access to prescriptions. He warned the SI could erode small local businesses and called on the Department of Agriculture and the minister to ensure fairness and access.
He welcomed Merchant Alliance and other groups, including Veterinary Ireland, and praised an individual named Terence for providing a long-standing, valuable service at the Khmer Mart and other local marts. He described the service as important to farmers who rely on it for dosing products and veterinary supplies in Kilgarven, Castdown Bear and Car Savine.
He criticised aspects of the SI that may limit access to veterinary prescriptions, noting Veterinary Ireland's position that some large retailing veterinary practices would supply products themselves rather than make prescriptions available. He cited the NVPS principle that a farmer should be able to obtain an online prescription and then purchase products where they wished, warning that refusal of prescriptions would be unacceptable.
He highlighted the geographic challenges facing rural communities, saying that if you leave Khmer and travel to Car Savine or Kilgarven by the scenic route it is over 130 kilometres and there is only one veterinary practice. He said services are getting "scarcer and scarcer" across the peninsula areas he referenced, stressing the importance of local provision.
He traced the SI back to a European regulation but placed responsibility with the Department of Agriculture and the minister for drafting and signing the SI into law. He urged officials to see the realities on the ground, argued they have discretion to address concerns, and warned that the SI risks creating unfair commercial advantages - calling it "the goose that's going to lay the golden egg."
Support for local supplier
He welcomed Merchant Alliance and other groups, including Veterinary Ireland, and praised an individual named Terence for providing a long-standing, valuable service at the Khmer Mart and other local marts. He described the service as important to farmers who rely on it for dosing products and veterinary supplies in Kilgarven, Castdown Bear and Car Savine.
Concerns about prescriptions under the SI
He criticised aspects of the SI that may limit access to veterinary prescriptions, noting Veterinary Ireland's position that some large retailing veterinary practices would supply products themselves rather than make prescriptions available. He cited the NVPS principle that a farmer should be able to obtain an online prescription and then purchase products where they wished, warning that refusal of prescriptions would be unacceptable.
Rural access and service scarcity
He highlighted the geographic challenges facing rural communities, saying that if you leave Khmer and travel to Car Savine or Kilgarven by the scenic route it is over 130 kilometres and there is only one veterinary practice. He said services are getting "scarcer and scarcer" across the peninsula areas he referenced, stressing the importance of local provision.
Appeal to Department and minister for fairness
He traced the SI back to a European regulation but placed responsibility with the Department of Agriculture and the minister for drafting and signing the SI into law. He urged officials to see the realities on the ground, argued they have discretion to address concerns, and warned that the SI risks creating unfair commercial advantages - calling it "the goose that's going to lay the golden egg."
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Joe O'Reilly
Joe O'Reilly Urges Government Action to Save Wellman Jobs
Paul Murphy
Paul Murphy: Urges halt to Central Bank sale of Israeli bonds
Sharon Keogan
Sharon Keogan cites report: a child disappears every two minutes
Shay Brennan
Shay Brennan: Clarifies Central Bank Role in Sovereign Bond Prospectuses
Sharon Keogan
Sharon Keogan urges end to prohibition on gender debate
Sharon Keogan
Sharon Keogan urges renaming child pornography as abuse material
Transcript
Six minutes. Thank you, Chairman. Very much. First of all, I want to welcome Merchant Alliance here and the other two groups as well, the Veterinary Island and the other section. I hear you're asking, you're very fair. And as you know, I know Terence very well. He's been coming to Khmer, providing a service for many, many years, Khmer, Mart, and other places as well. And the likes, him and his likes are appreciated by the farmers. And as you know, when a farmer gets up in the morning, he has a hundred jobs to do, a hundred different things. And it was always, you know, it felt that this was a valuable service in the Khmer, Mart and this instance, where the farmer would go to sell a few animals and bring home the usual dosing stuff or whatever was available. And I know you've been caught back with the mastoitis tubes and all that. And that's sad too, because I believe there's enough there for everyone. And I believe that the wits are very busy and that they have enough to do. And indeed, we appreciate the wits very much because our story is we can get a wits sooner for the cold and we can get a doctor for the patients. And that's the way the thing has gone in rural oil and all. And they have enough to do. And we don't want to take from their job. But at the same time, we don't want to quinchy. And I'm glad that I'm in this committee, this throne, because I was a constant speaker on different... the last two different governments. But I was not a member. I always came into the committee of agriculture because I feel it was very important for the people that I represent. And like that, here, very important to the people that I represent in rural places where they know this man is available, in Khmer Mat. For all that section, Kilgarven, Castdown Bear, down to Car Savine, they're all coming up to Khmer Mat. And likewise, they get what they need from Terence. And I certainly won't be the one to come down here. I feel he's doing an excellent... Providing an excellent, valuable service to the people that we have in our locality. So, if Terence would like to ask me something special, I'd be glad to respond if we have anything to say. I know you've asked me several times before. Thank you, Deputy. I mean, we've discussed this issue before. And you're very familiar with... Kerry, you're familiar with, you know, all of the Raw Peninsula, the Bearer Peninsula, the Dingle Peninsula, Dunmanis, and all of the places where services are getting scarcer and scarcer and scarcer. You know? And it's one of the things I always say, if you leave Khmer and you travel to Car Savine or travel to Kilgarven by the scenic route, it's over 130 kilometers, and there's one veterinary practice. That veterinary practice supplies a fantastic service. That veterinary practice is involved in the sale of veterinary medicines, and so am I. And the amazing thing about it is, there's actually plenty there for everybody. Everybody has enough. But this idea that by accident or otherwise, that an SI can erode into your business, there's a clear lack of fairness. There's a clear lack of understanding what commercially drives any business today. And we have invited on numerous occasions the members of, or the officials of the Department of Agriculture, to see what they're legislating. You know, and this idea, I know you can legislate from a distance, but really, I think there's a failure to grasp. And the most important thing that needs to be said in all of this is regard to the access to prescriptions. And at the invitation of Veterinary Ireland, we did meet with them going back a couple of years ago, and they clearly set out their position. And Veterinary Ireland's position, as they set it out was, they spoke about the large retailing veterinary practices around the country. And they clearly stated, we will not be making prescriptions available to our clients to purchase their products. And I think the words were, from the likes of E, we will be supplying the products ourselves. Now, the principle that the NVPS was set out on was that a farmer would engage with a veterinary practitioner, his prescription would be issued online under the NVPS, and he could go wherever he wished. And if that's the system that the SI is providing for, then this idea that an individual can be refused a veterinary prescription, it's the same as going into the doctor, and the doctor say, oh, no way, you're not going across to the chemist. Here you are. That wouldn't be tolerated by the pharmacist. Can I ask you, where is this all coming from? Who's initiating this? Well, okay, so, we won't, the whole idea is not to point the finger of blame in any direction. This originated with the European regulation. Department of Agriculture ultimately, and the Minister of the People, who are responsible for drafting and signing the SI into law. That is the law of the land. They have more than adequate discretion to provide, you know, to provide for everybody's concerns. But in our belief, they're not providing adequately for our concerns. And really what the SI is, if you asked me to describe the SI, and I was a veterinary practitioner, I would say, this is the goose that's going to lay the golden egg. That's the reality. That's where we're coming from. Well, again, I'd say honestly here to you, I don't mind pointing the finger, or I don't mind being told who is the cause of it. But I have to say that fairness, I'm all for fairness, Chairman. And I believe that these people have provided a very valuable service to small farmers throughout Kerry and beyond. And I'm supporting their continuation and will be, Chairman. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you, Deputy.