New schemes to secure veterinary medicine supplies to NI

Two new schemes to help guarantee the supply of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland are to be introduced by the UK government.

From 2026, the supply of those medicines will be covered by EU rather than UK rules, a requirement of Northern Ireland's Brexit deal.

That led to concerns that many medicines could become unavailable in NI as they have traditionally been supplied from elsewhere in the UK.

The government now believes the majority of medicines will remain available due to suppliers adapting their supply lines.

Those remaining medicines which are at risk of withdrawal will be covered by the new schemes, allowing them to be supplied from Great Britain.

Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir said he was "disappointed" that concerns he had raised with the government had not been addressed.

"I'm worried that the UK government are overselling this and I'll be seeking another meeting with the UK government about this," he added.

"I'm glad to see the problem is much reduced compared to what we were seeing last year.

"But it's important when we're bringing forward proposals that we don't oversell them."

British Veterinary Association president Dr Elizabeth Mullineaux said it had consistently pushed the government for "certainty around continued access to veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland and the remedies announced today are a positive development".

She added that while "the remedies provide some reassurances, the detail of how the schemes work for vets in Northern Ireland will be critical to understanding how effective they are in reality".

"We will continue to engage with the government to ensure our members and the wider profession's voices are heard as the detail is firmed up," she said.

In a statement, the government said that out of about 3,000 products licensed for supply in Northern Ireland, its "current expectation is that there will be very limited disruption, with fewer than 20 products due to face discontinuation that we consider are likely to result in significant adverse impacts if not addressed".

The main measure to address those impacts is the Veterinary Medicine Internal Market Scheme under which vets can order medicines from GB if it is impractical to get them from the EU.

Vets can also hold stocks of products made available under that scheme rather than having to order them for each patient.

The government said vets would be able to buy a limited amount of products under the scheme pre-emptively where, in their professional judgment, the products may become necessary in the course of their treatment of specific animals.

The new arrangements are not a negotiated outcome with the EU, rather they are unilateral actions taken by the UK.

However, it is understood the EU has been kept aware of what the UK was developing and that the new schemes are compliant with EU law.

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said the government was confident that Northern Ireland would continue to have access to the veterinary medicines necessary to protect the health and welfare of animals.

He said further guidance would be issued "in due course" and the government would continue to "monitor emerging risks to animal health and veterinary medicine availability".

"Intensive engagement will continue through 2025 and beyond to address any gaps," he added.