NI vets fear loss of up to half of veterinary products

Farm leaders and vets in Northern Ireland are warning that up to half the veterinary medicines they use could be lost overnight once the “grace period” for the NI protocol comes to an end in December.

This will have severe consequences for farmers, putting animal health and welfare at risk.

The protocol was agreed as part of the UK’s exit from the EU and sets out special trading arrangements to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

See also: Brexit camps remain divided six years after referendum

But vets and the farming lobby are concerned about what happens at the end of the grace period, when all veterinary products used in the EU, including Northern Ireland, must be licensed in the EU.

They are worried that UK-licensed veterinary medicines destined for NI would have to be re-licensed for NI – an outcome that some drug companies might decide is not cost-effective, given the limited size of the market.

A large range of everyday veterinary products could be affected, including anthelmintics, anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamins and vaccines.

Common sense

A joint statement from the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) and the North of Ireland Veterinary Association (Niva) said a common-sense solution was needed that maintained these products for the farming industry.

Under current legislation, medicines approved in EU member states can be imported by use of a “special import licence”, but Niva says the application process is cumbersome and does not represent a practical solution.

Draft UK legislation to remove parts of the protocol arrangements could get around the issue of continued access to UK registered medicines.

However, the UFU and Niva say the future of this legislation is too uncertain to offer the level of assurance they need.

Human medicine precedent

“We’re extremely frustrated at the ‘they said, we said’ game that is being played out,” said UFU president David Brown.
“It’s time wasting and utterly hard to take when we’ve been highlighting this issue for so long.

“It hasn’t just cropped up overnight, and it’s about time vet medicines are dealt with in the same way as human medicines.”

Law changes were agreed earlier this year to enable pharmaceutical firms to continue to supply human medicines from Great Britain to Northern Ireland without requiring additional testing and labelling.

Niva senior vice-president Mark Little said: “This issue has already gone beyond the point where we have the luxury of time to secure a resolution.

“We and the UFU have lobbied for this without the progress or understanding we need around the threat posed to the industry.

“Put simply, if this is not resolved, come the end of December up to half the veterinary products we use here could be lost overnight, with massive consequences for vets, pet owners and farmers.”