VET ETVIEW FEBRUARY 2011 UPDATE

Transcription

1 ETVIEW VET 2011 FEBRUARY 2011 UPDATE Dear Member, This February update brings you important details in our Industrial Relations work, as well as the launch of our most ambitious ever programme of Continuing Veterinary Education (CVE) by VICAS. Topics being covered during the year include endocrinology, respiratory medicine, surgery, internal medicine, emergency medicine and ultrasonography (wet labs). In addition to events in the previous locations of Naas, Limerick and Sligo, in 2011 we have added additional venues in Galway and Cork. Full details of the programme can be found in the enclosed brochure. With regards Finbarr Murphy, Chief Executive. Contents Welcome AGM & Conference AGM Motions Meeting with Minister. 3. & 4. RPII. 4. ERAD TVI Case TVI/PVP Partnership Claim. 6. Emergency Slaughter AHI Update. 7. Veterinary Ireland Update February 2011 VETERINARY IRELAND AGM & CONFERENCE 2010 Veterinary Ireland hosted a new style AGM and Conference in the Lyrath Estate Hotel, Kilkenny on Friday 26 th November The AGM and Conference was open to all members and included a significant CVE component relevant to members of Veterinary Ireland across all Interest Groups. The scientific and business content qualified for 5 CVE credits from the Veterinary Council of Ireland and attendance was free of charge to members. The AGM and Conference was well attended with over 150 members and guests attending the day. Veterinary Ireland was pleased that the conference was opened by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mr Brendan Smith, T.D., and that the Minister took time out of a very busy schedule to address our members. It was the first time a Minister for Agriculture had attended a Veterinary Ireland AGM and Conference. Veterinary Ireland welcomed the confirmation by the Minister in his address that his Department would consult and engage fully with Veterinary Ireland during the upcoming legislative process on the enactment of the proposed Animal Health and Welfare Bill. The scientific programme on the day included a highly engaging session on medicines availability and responsible use with a range of expert speakers. The business session explored the financial and human resource aspects of veterinary business concentrating especially on employment legislation and debt management with a range of distinguished speakers. The AGM also provided an important opportunity for debate on issues relevant to the veterinary profession resulting in the adoption of the following motions. See overleaf for a full list of the Motions passed at the Veterinary Ireland Annual General Meeting. The AGM also received a detailed address by the Chief Executive on the many organisational developments during 2010, on the finances and membership of Veterinary Ireland, and on the planned initiatives for 2011 under the organisation s Strategic Plan. A copy of the Chief Executive s address was circulated to all members of Veterinary Ireland in December 2010.

2 Veterinary Ireland AGM Motions Veterinary Ireland calls on the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to publish as a matter of urgency the proposed Animal Health and Welfare Bill. Proposer: Joe Collins Seconder: Dermot Sparrow Status: Carried unanimously 2. Veterinary Ireland congratulates the Government on the passing of the Dog Breeding Establishments Act, 2010 and looks forward to the signing of its commencement order on 1 st January Proposer: Fintan Browne Seconder: Mike Woods Status: Carried unanimously 3. Veterinary Ireland calls on the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to publish the proposed amendments to the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 as proposed during the debate on the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill. Proposer: Fintan Browne Seconder: Andrea Dwane Status: Carried unanimously 4. In light of a recent suspect Foot and Mouth Disease case, Veterinary Ireland calls on the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to involve Private Veterinary Practitioners in contingency planning and preparation for Class A disease outbreaks. Proposer: Donal Lynch Seconder: Pat Kirwan Status: Carried unanimously 5. That the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food should ensure in the interests of Public Health, and Animal Health and Welfare, that adequate staffing is maintained at all DVOs, Regional Veterinary Laboratories and Meat Plants, to ensure that the day to day work, as well as emergency response in Class A disease outbreak, can be adequately and effectively addressed and PVPs should be involved in assisting State vets where appropriate. Proposer: Pat Kirwan Seconder: Frank O Sullivan Status: Carried as amended 6. Veterinary Ireland supports the work of Animal Health Ireland in its efforts to introduce disease control programmes and calls on the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and industry to support its efforts in the introduction of appropriate control/eradication programmes. Proposer: Frank O Sullivan Seconder: Joe Collins Status: Motion carried 7. In light of ongoing instances of salmonella food poisoning associated with the consumption of duck eggs, Veterinary Ireland calls on all involved in the food industry, from farm to fork, and including consumers, to have strict regard for guidelines produced by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on this matter. Proposer: John McCarthy Seconder: Pat Power Status: Carried unanimously 8. Veterinary Ireland calls on the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to address the issue of the unwanted horse and also to enforce the identification of equidae legislation in order to improve Irish horse welfare. Proposer: Joe Collins Seconder: Vivienne Duggan Status: Carried as amended 9. Veterinary Ireland calls on the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to take steps to develop and implement contingency plans to protect our equine population from the threat of infectious disease, specifically Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA). Proposer: Vivienne Duggan Seconder: Peadar O Scanaill Status: Carried unanimously 10. In light of the replacement of Directive 86/609 on the use of animals for scientific purposes, that the Minister for Health & Children appoint a national committee representing all stakeholders to oversee the implementation of this legislation. Proposer: Peter Nowlan Seconder: Deirdre Campion Status: Carried as amended Veterinary Ireland Update February

3 Veterinary Ireland Meeting with Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food A delegation from Veterinary Ireland, comprising the President Joe Collins, the incoming President Pat Kirwan and the Chief Executive Finbarr Murphy, held a meeting with the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mr Brendan Smith, T.D. on the 9 th November 2010 to discuss a number of touchstone issues of concern to the veterinary profession. The Minister was also accompanied by the Chief Veterinary Officer, Mr Paddy Rogan and senior Departmental officials. The agenda included: 1. Dog Breeding Establishments Act, 2010 / Proposed Amendment to the Greyhound Act; 2. Animal Health and Welfare Bill; 3. Regulation and services of Para-Professionals; 4. Responsible prescribing and use of medicines; and 5. Any other business. Veterinary Ireland submitted a short briefing paper to the Minister in advance of the meeting. A short summary of the issues discussed is outlined in the following panels. 1. Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 / Proposed Amendment to Greyhound Act Veterinary Ireland welcomed the work of the Government and in particular the work of the Departments of the Environment and Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in enacting the Dog Breeding Establishments Act, The Act represents an important step forward in safeguarding animal health and welfare. Veterinary Ireland also welcomed the fact that it was consulted throughout the process leading to the enactment of the Bill. With regard to the proposed amendment to the Greyhound Act, Veterinary Ireland outlined that it is concerned to ensure that a very strong role is enshrined for vets in inspection of greyhound breeding establishments (whether this be Local Authority, State or other Vets), i.e. that there is oversight by vets the trusted independent voice positioned between industry and welfare charities. The Minister outlined that the amendment to the Greyhound Act was well advanced within his Department and there would be a strong role for Local Authority vets. Veterinary Ireland outlined the need for equivalence in welfare standards between puppies and greyhounds. 2. Animal Health and Welfare Bill We are currently still operating with the Protection of Animals Act, 1911 being the most effective means to prosecute significant animal welfare infringements, when the Gardai are involved. This Act does not espouse the principle of a duty of care owing by the animal owner/keeper to animals in their keeping and has accordingly been replaced in Great Britain. The European Communities (Welfare of Farmed Animals) Regulations (SI 14 of 2008 and SI 311 of 2010) name DAFF officials as authorised officers and are limited in scope to species ordinarily kept for farming purposes (this may include horses in some circumstances). Veterinary Ireland outlined the urgent need for a new Animal Welfare Act. We also outlined increasing concern about the possible introduction of trans-boundary disease and the huge threat this represents to our population of animals of all species. We therefore called on the Minister for Agriculture to publish the long awaited Animal Health and Welfare Bill before the 100 th anniversary of the Protection of Animals Act. We again sought that Veterinary Ireland be fully consulted on the Bill to ensure the professional input of a veterinary view. The Minister outlined that a huge amount of work had been done in the preparation of the Bill and the drafting was with Parliamentary Counsel. Once approval had been given by the Government on the Heads of the Bill, the Department would then consult with Veterinary Ireland on the detail. Veterinary Ireland Update February

4 3. Regulation and services of Para-Professionals Since the enactment of the Veterinary Practice Act, 2005 there has been a growing realisation by other groups Para-Professionals - that services they have here-to-fore provided to animal owners may not be safeguarded, and may indeed be in contravention of the law. Such services might include farriers (and others) diagnosing and treating lameness in horses (and dairy cows), physical therapists (such as chiropractors) diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal disease in racing greyhounds and horses. A move to debate these services, who might provide them (their training, the implications for animal health/welfare etc) and how they might be regulated is welcomed by Veterinary Ireland. Veterinary Ireland outlined that it believes that the appropriate piece of legislation to cater for the regulation of Para -Professional groups would be the proposed Animal Health and Welfare Bill rather than the Veterinary Practice Act, 2005 to avoid any possibility of confusion as to what constitutes a veterinary service. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food however outlined in November 2010 that the Government has approved a proposal to amend the Veterinary Practice Act, 2005 to allow for the regulation of Para-Professionals. The proposed amendment would allow the Minister to regulate these groups by means of Ministerial Regulations. A Bill to give effect to this amendment will be drafted by the Attorney General s Office. The Department outlined that it will consult fully with Veterinary Ireland prior to the enactment of any new Regulations. 4. Responsible prescribing and use of medicines Veterinary Ireland outlined that it has long been concerned with medicines issues two in particular: Firstly, availability: there is a dearth of truly new veterinary medicines on the relatively small, Irish veterinary medicines market; most are generic medicines and variations on established agents. Vets must rely increasingly (especially in horses and companion animals) on products licensed for humans. Knowledge and skills cross national boundaries with ease (vets increasingly travel to conferences abroad and access new information via the web); vets are often frustrated, however, by the difficulties associated with the movement of licensed medicines between EU Member States. The Department outlined that a review of the European Medicines Directive was underway and the European Commission would be issuing proposals for changes in The Minister indicated his support for the transfer of medicines across European countries. Secondly, there is an ever increasing threat to our ability to use (and prescribe) medicines (especially antimicrobials) caused by the rise in resistance to medicines when used to treat humans. We would never deny the part that animals, their bacteria and drug treatments play in the overall picture, but insist that the imprudent use of medicines in humans themselves must be highlighted as the major reason for the rise in antimicrobial resistance among pathogenic bacteria causing human disease. The meeting also discussed Veterinary Ireland s concerns regarding the disconnect between distance prescribing and care of animals (Schedule 8). Long distance prescribing was a cause of great concern and needed to be addressed. The Department indicated that the work of Animal Health Ireland was very positive in relation to its mastitis control programme and there would be a review of the legislation on intramammaries in light of the work of Animal Health Ireland. It was envisaged that the sale of intramammaries would become part of the normal prescribing regime. It was noted that while the sale of intramammaries has been going up, milk quality has been going down. Veterinary Ireland will continue to monitor the situation and would expect to be part of a consultative process with regards to any proposed review of the legislation. 5. Any other business Veterinary Ireland brought to the Ministers attention its intention in 2011 to bring forward a major initiative in the area of out of hours provision by veterinary practitioners. Veterinary Ireland outlined that while there had been major advances in recent years in the area of GP out of hours arrangements with the advent of GP Co-operatives, many veterinary practitioners continued to work very onerous on call arrangements. Veterinary Ireland would be bringing forward an initiative through its Branch structures to encourage greater co-operation between veterinary practitioners to lessen the onerous nature of out of hours commitment. The Minister indicated his support for such an initiative. Veterinary Ireland welcomed the nature of the constructive engagement with the Minister and his Officials and expressed the view that such meetings should become a regular occurrence. Following the outcome of the impending general election, Veterinary Ireland will seek a meeting with incoming Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in order to continue to advance the matters discussed. Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) A meeting is to take place between representatives of Veterinary Ireland and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) in February 2011 to discuss amongst other matters our concerns at the increased costs being levied by the RPII on members. We will update you on the outcome of our discussions with the RPII. Veterinary Ireland Update February

5 ERAD Round 2011 Update Representatives of Veterinary Ireland and its Food Animal National Committee met with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (DAFF) on the 29 th September and 22 nd December 2010 to discuss the arrangements for the 2011 ERAD Round and the associated documentation (ER4). Last year, Veterinary Ireland outlined its unhappiness that the revised documentation for 2010 had issued to veterinary practitioners from a number of District Veterinary Offices in advance of the discussions between Veterinary Ireland and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. We sought, and received, assurances that such consultations would in future take place sufficiently in advance of the Round to allow for meaningful engagement in order that any concerns of the veterinary profession are properly taken into account by the Department. Veterinary Ireland is pleased that meaningful discussions took place in advance of the 2011 Round. ER4 Document 2011 A number of proposed changes to the ER4 document were considered during the recent meetings and Veterinary Ireland secured a number of amendments to the documentation. In particular, with regard to the provisions relating to the imposition of a charge on PVPs for additional costs incurred by the Department (Section 6) arising from non compliance by the PVP with requirements/processes set out in the ER4 document, Veterinary Ireland sought the removal of this provision from the documentation. The Department outlined that as this provision is specifically required by EU Regulation 882/2004, it must be included. However, Veterinary Ireland did secure the deletion of an additional line which provided or, for example, where non or late submission of a test report results in payment of additional income supplement payments. Veterinary Ireland does not accept that such additional charges can be levied on the PVP. Veterinary Ireland also secured the deletion of a proposed provision in relation to Export Testing that paper certification of tests not on AHCS would no longer be accepted believing that such a provision would be in breach of the contractual entitlements of those PVPs who are not operating the AHCS. Veterinary Ireland also secured agreement to removal of a proposed provision which sought to significantly shorten the notification periods available to PVPs for reporting test results. Brucellosis testing Finally with regard to Brucellosis testing, and the decision that, with effect from 2011, the two year annual brucellosis test rule will be extended to non-dairy herds, Veterinary Ireland has requested prior consultation with DAFF prior to the taking or announcement of such decisions. Testing Protocols Document A further meeting took place between representatives of Veterinary Ireland and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on the 25 th January 2011 at which a revision of the Protocol for Assessment and Quality Control of Standards by Private Veterinary Practitioners under the Bovine Tuberculosis and Brucellosis Eradication Schemes was considered. Veterinary Ireland sought a number of amendments to the document to ensure that fair procedures apply in the case of alleged breaches of testing requirements by PVPs and the inclusion of an appeal mechanism for PVPs vis-à-vis Department Veterinary Inspectors in the event of the failure of a VI to fulfil professional obligations. Considerable progress was made in amending the document at the meeting and discussions are ongoing with regard to finalisation of the revised protocol document. The Role of the PVP in Delivering State Services The meeting on the 25 th January also discussed the possible expansion of the role of the PVPs in the delivery of State services and discussions are ongoing between Veterinary Ireland and the Department in this regard. Animal Health Computer System (AHCS) User Group The meeting also discussed the re-establishment of the AHCS User Group and a meeting of this group is to be scheduled in the coming month. Tax Clearance Certificates ERAD Payments The Department also indicated to Veterinary Ireland at the meeting on the 22 nd December 2010, that the Department has been unable to discharge up to 1 million due to veterinary practitioners under the ERAD programme as it has not received the necessary Tax Clearance Certificates from individual vets. Veterinary Ireland Members are reminded to submit their Tax Clearance Certificates where required in order to ensure discharge of appropriate payments by the Department. Veterinary Ireland Update February

6 TVI High Court Hearing - December 2010 The appeal, supported by Veterinary Ireland, of the second Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) decision in the TVI Mitchelstown case was heard in the High Court on the 13 th December The case had previously been scheduled for hearing on the 19 th July 2010 but was not heard on this date due to the large number of cases on the list for hearing. A detailed written submission in the appeal was lodged by Counsel on behalf of the TVIs in advance of the hearing. The appeal of the EAT decision was heard by a new High Court Judge Mr Justice John Heddigan on the 13 th December The case ran for a full day, hearing submissions on behalf of the TVIs and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Justice Heddigan reserved judgement and it is expected that he will issue his ruling early in We will advise members on the outcome of the High Court appeal as soon as judgment is issued. TVIs &PVPs Update on Local Bargaining Provision Claim Veterinary Ireland formally lodged a claim in June 2010 with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for payment of an outstanding pay award under the terms of the local bargaining provision of the Partnership 2000 National Wage Agreement which has not to date been applied to the fees payable to TVIs and PVPs. The claim relates to a 2% increase in fees with effect from 1 July Veterinary Ireland lodged its claim following the decision of the Department to apply a further 6.28% reduction in the fees payable to TVIs and PVPs with effect from 1 June 2010 following the earlier reduction in In the latest correspondence on this issue from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food dated 30 th November 2010, the Department outlined that the issue of the non-application of the above 2% has been referred to the Department of Finance for their consideration and the Department will be in further contact with Veterinary Ireland when it receives a definitive response from that Department. Emergency Slaughter of Livestock A meeting took place between representatives of Veterinary Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Irish Farmers Association and Meat Industry Ireland on the 6 th October 2010 to discuss the difficulties with regard to acceptance of animals, considered unfit on veterinary grounds for transport, by meat factories (or slaughter facilities). The round table meeting which took place at the request of Veterinary Ireland was chaired by DAFF. The legislation is in place that vets can certify suitable animals for slaughter on farm and processing in a meat processing facility. The vet or a licensed slaughter man can then slaughter the animal on farm, collect the blood and ensure that the animal and blood are taken to the facility within two hours. The problem arises that our members are reporting that farmers cannot get meat plants to take these carcases and the plants are telling farmers to get Casualty Certificates and bring the animals in alive. However, we are talking here of animals that vets cannot certify for transport under the terms of EU 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport. Some local abattoirs may be taking these carcases but are not able to cater for all animals (e.g. an 800kg bull) at all times in all parts of the country. The alternative is that the farmer is at the significant loss of condemning such an animal to the knackery trade. Veterinary Ireland highlighted the difficulty created for veterinary practitioners outlined above and sought solutions to the difficulties. A number of possible solutions were discussed at the meeting including: 1. a legislative change which would legally oblige meat factories to accept these animals, 2. a panel type arrangement giving details to veterinary practitioners of those meat plants accepting these animals, and 3. an upgrade of local abattoirs to facilitate their acceptance of these animals. The Department representatives indicated that a legislative change was unlikely while Meat Industry Ireland indicated that if meat factories were asked to be placed on a panel that they were accepting these animals that the existing goodwill would probably cease and be counterproductive leading to less factories accepting these animals. No immediate solutions were determined from the meeting and it was agreed that the matter would be referred back to the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council (FAWAC) of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for further consideration. Veterinary Ireland Update February

7 Animal Health Ireland (AHI) Animal Health Ireland continues to work on a number of disease programmes dealing with BVD, IBR, Mastitis (CellCheck) and Johne s Disease. Veterinary Ireland and its members are heavily involved in this work at all levels. BVD On the 30 th November 2010, Animal Health Ireland (AHI) launched a consultation process on a co-ordinated industry-led programme to eradicate BVD from the national herd. The purpose of the consultation is to gather the views of all parts of the industry on the way ahead for BVD control in Ireland and to establish the level of support for a national eradication programme. The consultation process builds on the work done by AHI to date, which has focused on education and awareness-raising, and is supported by a comprehensive benchmarking exercise of the approach taken by other European countries to the eradication of BVD. Veterinary Ireland will be making a submission to the consultation process which will conclude on the 28 th February The responses will then be reviewed and AHI will produce a summary of the findings. If the overall response is positive and endorses a national programme, an implementation group will be established to devise an appropriate strategy for its delivery. Full details of the BVD consultation process are available on the Animal Health Ireland website: Mastitis (CellCheck) CellCheck is a co-ordinated national mastitis control programme that places particular emphasis on reducing the Somatic Cell Count (SCC) of the national dairy herd. Currently in the planning phase, the programme will be rolled out over the course of Although it is co-ordinated by AHI, the programme will require significant input from a range of partners, including the dairy processors and the farming organisations, Teagasc, UCD, Veterinary Ireland, ICBF, DAFF and IMQCS. The programme is based on an Australian mastitis control programme CountDown DownUnder which was very successful in reducing the national SCC in that country. CellCheck has a number of objectives: To set very clear and quantifiable targets for the Somatic Cell Count of the national dairy herd; for example, that the SCC of x percent of dairy herds will be maintained below 400,000 cells/ml and that a further y percent will be kept below, say 250,000 cells/ml. The precise targets, which will be set by the industry itself, should be challenging but achievable. To raise awareness around the issues of mastitis and cell counts through a co-ordinated national communications campaign. To provide Irish dairy farmers with access to international best practice on mastitis control. To develop local and regional networks of various advisory streams, including vets, which will be technically equipped to provide tailor-made mastitis control solutions. The planning and development has been underway for some time, laying the groundwork for a smooth roll-out in the coming year. The Technical Working Group, which consists of a group of individuals with expertise in mastitis control, is well advanced in the work of adapting the technical resources from the CountDown DownUnder programme to ensure that they are relevant in an Irish context. This work will result in a stream of regular communication to both farmer and technical audiences from spring onwards. The piloting of the programme technical materials and the channels of delivery to the farmer will take place over the second half of Other Programmes AHI s Technical Working Groups are continuing to progress work in the areas of IBR, Johne s disease, Parasite control, Calf health and Biosecurity with further developments and outputs expected during VETERINARY IRELAND 13 The Courtyard, Kilcarbery Park, Nangor Road, Dublin 22. Tel: Fax: E:Mail: HQ@vetireland.ie Veterinary Ireland Update February