Animal health is an area where getting the purchasing decision wrong can be costly in more ways than one — using the wrong product, buying from an unlicensed source, or failing to follow withdrawal periods can jeopardise farm assurance status, leave residues in the food chain, and leave you legally exposed. This guide outlines the regulatory framework Irish farmers operate within, covers the trace element deficiencies most common in Irish soils, and explains the practical decisions around drenching programmes, wormer rotation, and footbath management.
VMP Licensing Categories in Ireland: What You Can Buy and From Whom
Veterinary Medicinal Products (VMPs) sold in Ireland are classified into four categories under EU Regulation 2019/6 (implemented in Ireland from January 2022). The category determines who can prescribe and supply the product:
| Category | What it means | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| POM-V | Prescription-only — vet must prescribe AND supply or authorise supply | Most antibiotics, hormones, certain anthelmintics (e.g. injectable ivermectin) |
| POM-VPS | Prescription required; can be supplied by a vet, pharmacist, or Suitably Qualified Person (SQP) | Many oral anthelmintics (flukicides, roundworm drenches), some vaccines |
| NFA-VPS | No prescription required but must be supplied by a vet, pharmacist, or SQP with advice | Some pour-on anthelmintics, certain mineral drenches |
| AVM-GSL | Authorised Veterinary Medicine — General Sales List; no prescription, any retailer | Certain boluses, topical treatments, some disinfectants, fly repellents |
In practice this means: if you want to buy a wormer drench or a flukicide without a vet visit, you need to source from a licensed merchant who has a Suitably Qualified Person (SQP) on staff. Most large agri-stores and co-op branches have SQPs. Buying POM-VPS products online from unlicensed sources is illegal and can invalidate your farm assurance.
Trace Element Deficiencies in Irish Soils
Irish soils — particularly wet, peat-based, and high-pH western soils — are deficient in several trace elements that are critical for livestock health. The four most common deficiency situations Irish farmers encounter are:
Copper: True copper deficiency is common on peat soils, blanket bog and some leached sandy soils. However, Irish farms also frequently encounter secondary copper deficiency (also called copper antagonism) where soil copper levels are adequate but high molybdenum, sulphur or iron in the pasture prevents absorption. Symptoms include bleaching of coat colour, scour in calves, poor thrive. Before supplementing copper, always get soil and herbage analysis first — copper toxicity in sheep is a real risk and supplementing unnecessarily can kill sheep.
Cobalt: Cobalt deficiency (pine or cobalt-deficiency disease) is widespread on Irish soils — particularly light, well-drained acid soils in the east and midlands. Cobalt is needed for the rumen to synthesise Vitamin B12. Affected animals show poor thrive, wasting, and lacrimation (weeping eyes). Cobalt boluses or injectable B12 are the standard response.
Iodine: Iodine deficiency is associated with goitre (enlarged thyroid gland) in newborns and poor reproductive performance in breeding females. It's particularly a problem on farms with high kale, turnip, or brassica in the diet (these crops are goitrogenic). Iodised mineral licks and boluses address the deficiency.
Selenium: Selenium deficiency causes white muscle disease (nutritional muscular dystrophy) in calves and lambs, and is associated with fertility problems in ewes and cows. Irish grass-based systems are commonly marginal or deficient in selenium. Selenium can be supplemented via injection (careful — the therapeutic window is narrow), bolus, or in compound minerals.
Most Irish farms benefit from a blanket trace element supplementation programme, but the composition should be based on your specific soil and herbage analysis — not a generic bolus. Copper toxicity kills sheep. Selenium overdose is toxic. Spend €120–200 on a Teagasc or private laboratory soil analysis and matched herbage sample before committing to a supplementation programme. Your vet or SQP can interpret the results and specify the right bolus formulation. Boluses are expensive per head — getting the spec right means you're not paying for elements you don't need, or worse, supplementing elements that are already adequate.
Drenching Programmes: Timing and Products
Strategic anthelmintic drenching in Ireland is structured around the spring/summer grazing season when parasite burdens on pasture are highest, and the housing transition in autumn. Key drenching events for Irish systems:
- Pre-housing (October–November): A combined roundworm and lungworm drench at housing is standard for both cattle and sheep. This is typically the most important single drench of the year.
- Cattle: mid-season (June–July): Young stock on contaminated pastures may need a mid-season drench — use faecal egg counts (FECs) to guide this decision rather than blanket treatment.
- Sheep: post-lambing: Ewes experience a periparturient rise in worm egg output in the weeks after lambing. A targeted selective treatment (TST) approach — treating only ewes in poor body condition — is increasingly recommended to slow resistance development.
- Liver fluke: Fasciola hepatica is a major issue on wet, poorly-drained Irish farms. The traditional treatment is an autumn drench (October–November) targeting adults and late immature stages. On farms with a known fluke problem (snail habitat), a triclabendazole-based product targeting early immature stages may be warranted 6–8 weeks after the fluke season begins.
Anthelmintic Resistance: Why Rotation Matters
Anthelmintic resistance — where worm populations no longer respond to standard doses — is a growing problem on Irish farms, particularly for sheep roundworms. The problem has developed because of years of over-treatment and under-dosing (not adjusting dose to correct bodyweight). The four main anthelmintic groups used in Ireland are:
- Group 1-BZ (Benzimidazoles): White drenches — fenbendazole, albendazole, oxfendazole. Resistance is widespread in sheep roundworms in Ireland.
- Group 2-LV (Levamisoles): Yellow drenches — levamisole. Less resistance than BZ, but growing.
- Group 3-ML (Macrocyclic Lactones): Clear/ivermectin-based drenches and pour-ons. Some resistance emerging.
- Group 4-AD (Amino-Acetonitrile Derivatives): Monepantel — relatively new, less resistance. Prescription only.
Best practice is to rotate between groups across treatment events, never within a treatment (combination drenches are a separate decision). Use faecal egg count reduction tests (FECRT) every 2–3 years to monitor whether your chosen products are still working. Your vet can arrange this testing.
Footbath Management: Copper Sulphate vs Acid Products
Digital dermatitis and interdigital disease are significant in Irish dairy herds; lameness is one of the top three welfare and productivity issues on Irish farms. A regularly maintained footbath is a core preventive tool.
Copper sulphate (3–5% solution) is the traditional footbath chemical in Ireland and remains effective for digital dermatitis prevention. Drawbacks are the cost of disposal (copper sulphate footbath effluent is a controlled waste), the corrosive effect on concrete, and variable efficacy. A well-maintained copper sulphate footbath requires fresh solution after 200–300 cow passes, and at least three passes per cow per week for preventive effect.
Acidified ionised solutions (formalin-based products, proprietary acid footbath products) are effective against digital dermatitis and less environmentally problematic than copper sulphate. Formalin is still used but handling safety requirements are a real concern. Several commercial proprietary products (e.g. Intra Hoof-fit Gel, Hoof-Care, ZinCo) offer alternatives. Your vet or animal health adviser can recommend the most appropriate product for your herd's specific problem — digital dermatitis and interdigital foul have different responses to different products.
Buying Animal Health Products: Licensed Merchants Only
All POM-V and POM-VPS products must be purchased from a licensed outlet with an SQP on staff. Buying these products online from unlicensed sources (including some UK-based online pharmacies that do not hold Irish authorisation) is illegal and may constitute an offence under the Animal Remedies Act 1993 as amended. For farm assurance purposes (Bord Bia QA, Grass Fed Standard), all animal health treatments must be recorded in your farm medicine book with the product name, authorisation number, batch number, treated animals, dose, and withdrawal period.
Suppliers for Animal Health Products in Ireland
Agristore carries a full animal health range including boluses, drenches, vaccines (with appropriate cold chain), and footbath chemicals, with SQP-qualified staff able to advise on POM-VPS selections. MyAgri operates as an online licensed merchant with nationwide delivery on a wide range of animal health products including boluses, pour-ons, and non-prescription health products. Always confirm the product's licensing category before purchasing online, and retain all purchase receipts for your medicine book.