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A number of veterinary medicines have had their supply lines temporarily disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) told the Irish Farmers Journal that the disruption was due to the lockdown in China affecting some supplies.
“The HPRA is aware that the supply of certain active substances from China is affecting the manufacturing plans for certain veterinary medicinal products that are supplied into Ireland, or are manufactured in Ireland,” it said.
Active ingredients understood to be in short supply include amoxicillin and eprinomectin-based products
“The lockdown in China has been lifted to our knowledge. The industry and the transport supply chains are returning to normal.”
This newspaper understands there are also issues with sourcing active ingredients from India.
Active ingredients understood to be in short supply include amoxicillin and eprinomectin-based products.
The UK Veterinary Medicine Directorate also said it was monitoring the supply of medicine there, while in the US, six companies have notified the authorities that they could face future supply issues due to COVID-19 disrupting supplies.
Both the European Medicines Agency and the European Commission have announced regulatory flexibility to ensure the availability of animal medicine during the pandemic, in case of supply disruption.
The Irish Farmers Journal understands that some companies in Ireland are experiencing difficulties sourcing active ingredients for some products, but most farmers will not be impacted, as alternatives are currently available on the market.
France, Belgium and the Netherlands have permitted the use of veterinary propofol, an anaesthetic also used in intubated human patients, to quell fears of potential shortages.
The HPRA said additional stock had been secured to meet the increased demand linked to COVID-19 and there were no plans to allow the use of veterinary propofol in humans in Ireland.
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