Clarity sought on Northern Ireland vet medicine rules

A coalition of veterinary, farming and animal health bodies has urged the UK government to clarify how new post-Brexit arrangements for supplying veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland will operate when current measures expire on 31 December.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA), which represents more than 19,000 vets across the UK, joined eight organisations in sending a joint letter to Defra undersecretary Baroness Hayman of Ullock.

The groups asked for certainty on the practical workings of two proposed frameworks: the Veterinary Medicines Internal Market Scheme (VMIMS) and the Veterinary Medicines Health Situations Scheme (VMHSS).

See also: NI farmers face mounting threat to vet med supplies

The letter welcomed the government’s efforts to develop the schemes and its intention to “protect animal and human health and welfare by ensuring continued access to veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland”.

Uncertainty 

However, it warned that “uncertainty… remains across the sector” about how the arrangements will function once the grace period for existing post-Brexit supply measures ends.

Concerns highlighted by the signatories included the true number of medicines which are likely to be unavailable or discontinued, and the risk of disruption to timely access to medicines.

The organisations also noted that, without stronger co-ordination, there could be increased cost pressures, rising workload, and avoidable disease pressure at a time when veterinary capacity is already stretched.

In their letter, the groups called on Defra to ensure “consistent interpretation of the new schemes” and asked for a meeting within the next two weeks to discuss the issues in detail.

The letter follows evidence given on 12 November to the House of Lords Northern Ireland Scrutiny committee, where industry representatives were questioned about the implications of new EU rules on the distribution of veterinary medicines, due to apply in full from 1 January 2026.