§ Mr. ButcherTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what investigations her Department is undertaking in respect of the condition of deer frequenting the deer sanctuary at Baronsdown;
(2) when she will report on the effect of administering uncontrolled doses of Panacur at the deer sanctuary at Baronsdown.
§ Mr. SoamesI am looking into several complaints which have been received about deer management on Exmoor and in particular the apparent administration of the drug Panacur to deer at the Baronsdown sanctuary.
§ Mr. ButcherTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is her policy in respect of administering the drug Panacur to wild deer.
§ Mr. SoamesPanacur, like any veterinary medicine, should be administered in accordance with the law. It is not142W currently specifically licensed for administration to deer. Under European legislation however, and in line with the code of practice adopted by the British Veterinary Association in 1991, a veterinarian may prescribe a veterinary medicine licensed for another species for administration to animals under his care.
§ Mr. ButcherTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessments she has made of the effect of administering(a) uncontrolled under-doses and (b) uncontrolled overdoses of the drug Panacur to wild deer.
§ Mr. SoamesIt is for manufacturers of veterinary medicines to assess the proper dose rate for their product as they seek to satisfy the efficacy criterion to obtain the necessary license. Panacur does have a reasonable safety profile and moderate changes in dose rates should not give rise to unacceptable risks. Underdosing may, however, involve a theoretical risk of creating resistance to the drug in the target worms.