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Horse owners can return unused, partially used or expired veterinary medicines to participating CVS Equine practices for safe disposal.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
A veterinary group has launched a nationwide medicines amnesty for horse owners.
CVS Equine is encouraging clients across the UK to return unused, part-used and expired veterinary medicines to their local practice for safe disposal.
The initiative is being rolled out across all CVS Equine practices and aims to promote responsible medicines stewardship.
Although clients are encouraged to return any unwanted veterinary medicines, particular emphasis is placed on antibiotics and equine wormers due to their potential environmental impact and contribution to antimicrobial resistance if disposed of incorrectly.
As part of the programme, CVS Equine practices will collect and record the weight of medicines returned by clients.
It is said the data will help the group better understand the scale of unused medicines held by horse owners and measure the positive impact of the campaign over time.
Veterinary teams will discuss responsible medicine disposal with clients during routine yard visits and consultations, while practices will also be promoting the initiative through local communications and social media channels.
CVS Equine veterinary medical director Charlotte Sinclair said: “Through this medicines amnesty, we want to make it as easy as possible for clients to return unwanted medications to us so they can be disposed of safely, while also encouraging conversations around responsible medicine use and environmental sustainability.”
She added: “This is about more than collecting unwanted medicines. It is an opportunity to work together with horse owners to improve medicine stewardship, reduce environmental risk and support the long-term effectiveness of important treatments such as antibiotics and wormers.”