The UK government has offered clarity to the veterinary medicine sector over its intentions for ensuring the continued supply of products during the implementation period of Brexit.

In a statement this week, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) the Defra executive agency which assures veterinary medicine safety announced “to give businesses, organisations and citizens certainty, common rules will remain in place until the end of the implementation period, meaning businesses will be able to trade on the same terms as now up until the end of 2020”.

Animal health and veterinary organisations have been calling for clarity from the UK government on the future of veterinary medical supplies after Brexit.

The UK National Office of Animal Health (NOAH), which represents companies which research, develop, manufacture and market licensed animal medicines has said: “To make informed business decisions, the industry urgently needs clarity now on how an implementation period would operate.”

The organisation warned “we must not risk the UK becoming a ‘second tier’ country for medicines supply”.

“The production of veterinary medicines and supply to the UK market is totally dependent on complex supply chains that must continue to function effectively. These supply chains will span the new UK-EU border post-Brexit. Raw materials will need to arrive at manufacturing sites and veterinary medicines will need to be transported across this border to meet market requirements. Any border delays, complex processes or increased costs will risk medicines availability in the UK.”

Concern

British Veterinary Association president John Fishwick has stated that his organisation would be concerned about the UK leaving the EU without a deal without clarity about ongoing access to veterinary medicines. “Continued access to veterinary medicines post-Brexit is essential for safeguarding animal health and welfare, public safety and the food chain in the UK. That is why we have been calling on the government to guarantee ongoing access to all existing and future veterinary medicines licensed through the EU regulatory systems and existing import certificate mechanisms, as well as to pharmacovigilance data on those medicines,” Fishwick told Farmers Journal Scotland.

The VMD is carrying out contingency planning to ensure that veterinary medicines will “remain available” when the UK leaves the EU.