The issue of policing the sale of controlled animal drugs in Northern Ireland is to be raised on the margins of a meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers in Brussels later today.
An Irish Times investigation found that some Northern veterinary practitioners were prepared to hand over prescription-only animal drugs without checking how they were to be used.
The drugs involved ranged from clenbuterol, commonly known as "Angel Dust", to steroids and very strong antibiotics which could cause serious public health problems if not administered properly.
The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, yesterday instructed his officials to raise his concerns about the situation with the authorities in the North. He also pledged his Department's support for measures to monitor more effectively the system of controlling drugs emanating from the North.
The SDLP has called for a full investigation into the control of animal drugs in the North.
The issue will be discussed in Brussels later today by Irish and British officials when Britain chairs the first meeting of its six-month EU presidency.
The Department of Health and Social Security in Belfast said yesterday that it would fully investigate the matter if The Irish Times handed over the information it had collected on breaches of the Medicines Act.
A spokesman for the Ulster Farmers' Union condemned the handing over of prescription drugs in the manner described by The Irish Times but said that he had no evidence that the practice was widespread. However, he said, the strength of sterling was sending Northern farmers across the Border to buy veterinary products and he felt it was possible that some veterinary practices may have adopted less strict controls in recent times because of financial pressures.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food, Mr Ned O'Keeffe, said that strict controls were in place in the Republic to maintain and protect standards in the food chain.
In 1997, 73 cases had been brought to court by his Department's Special Investigation Unit, Mr O'Keeffe said. Of these, 68 had been successfully prosecuted. Since 1995, 33 people had been sent to prison for offences under the Animal Remedies Act. Fines of over £360,000 had been imposed and, of the 140 cases brought by the Department, only 11 had been unsuccessful.
The SDLP's spokesman on agriculture, Mr Denis Haughey, yesterday called for a full inquiry by the North's Department of Agriculture into the investigation conducted by The Irish Times. Mr Haughey said that he had been disturbed by the revelations, which were particularly worrying at a time when Northern farmers were attempting to recover lost markets.
Mr Haughey called for action to be taken to enforce the regulations and ensure that such drugs can be prescribed only by licensed vets for legitimate purposes.