The EU has officially extended a looming deadline which could have caused significant disruption to the availability of veterinary medicines in NI.

On Monday, it was confirmed that a temporary grace period for enforcing the part of the NI protocol which relates to veterinary medicines will be extended to the end of 2025.

The deadline was due to expire on 31 December 2022 and would have meant that only EU-licensed products would be eligible for use in NI.

At risk were an estimated 51% of all veterinary products that are used in NI, as they mainly come from Britain and given Brexit, are no longer approved for use in the EU.

“This decision means that citizens and businesses there will continue to be able to buy veterinary medical products from within the UK,” said European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefcovic.

As reported by the Irish Farmers Journal last week, an extension to the grace period was expected as the EU had confirmed the arrangement was under review.

However, the extension until the end of 2025 is much longer than had been anticipated which should give more time for the EU and UK to find a permanent solution to the issue.

It is noteworthy that the revised timeframe runs beyond the next UK general election, where a new UK government led by the Labour Party could be more willing to align to certain EU rules.

Official confirmation of the extended grace period was welcomed by representatives from the local agriculture and veterinary industries.

“Our efforts will continue and will focus on achieving a permanent solution to ensure the continued supply of the veterinary medicine portfolio,” said Ulster Farmers’ Union president David Brown.

“We look forward to working further with all stakeholders to ensure the supply of essential veterinary medicines is maintained not just now, but for the future,” said Malcolm Morley from the British Veterinary Association.