Four breeders in the Basque Country were sentenced on Tuesday to a suspended fine of 5,000 euros by the Bayonne court for having fraudulently obtained antibiotics from a veterinarian in Spain and having administered them themselves to their animals.
These sheep and cow breeders had taken to getting medicine in the neighboring country, thanks to prescriptions issued on request by a Spanish practitioner.
Substances sold much cheaper in Spain but which, for some, are subject to a French decree regulating their use since 2016.
A common practice
Antibiotic products, classified as “
critical
” in France, can only be purchased after examination of the animal by a veterinarian and must be administered by the professional to avoid any “ self-
medication
”.
At the hearing, the breeders had argued "
realities on the ground
", speaking of "
common practices
", carried out without "
any intention to defraud
".
They will each have to pay 1 euro in damages to the Order of Veterinarians, civil party in the file.
