Watchdog targets animal medicines
7 April 2000
Watchdog targets animal medicines
By Shelley Wright
COMPETITION watchdog the Office of Fair Trading is investigating the supply and pricing of veterinary medicines in the UK.
For years, British farmers have questioned why they have to pay more than their counterparts elsewhere in Europe for prescription-only medicines (POMs).
After receiving complaints from, among others, the Scottish NFU, an OFT spokesman confirmed this week that an investigation was under way.
“We are conducting a fact-finding exercise. Its impossible to say at this stage whether or not this will lead to any further action,” he said.
As part of the Prime Ministers industry package last week, the government announced there would be an independent review of dispensing by vets of POMs.
At the moment, there is no information on who will be appointed to conduct the review, or when that will happen.
Late last year the Scottish NFU submitted claimed that UK farmers paid as much as 200% more for some antibiotics compared with those in Ireland.
Roger Cook, director of NOAH, the trade body for the manufacturers of animal medicines, said he had been asked to submit information to the OFT.
But no questions on pricing had been asked and NOAH as a trade body would not be in a position to comment on the prices of individual products, he added.
Mr Cook accepted that prices paid by farmers for animal medicines did vary from country to country. But simple price comparisons were meaningless, he said.
“Traditionally in this country, vets put a large mark-up on medicines rather than charging high fees for farm visits,” said Mr Cook.
“By contrast, in Denmark, for example, vets are not allowed to supply medicines at all. They have to write a prescription and the farmer then buys the medicines from an agricultural pharmacist.”
However, Eifion Evans, president of the British Veterinary Association, said there did seem to be price differences from manufacturers.
“We are in consultation with manufacturers at the moment and we very much look forward to a time when we can have parity of pricing,” he said.
- Farmers demand probe into vet drug costs, FWi, 13 December, 1999
- Vets want review of animal medicine, FWi, 09 June, 1999