NI medicine supply: senior vets warn of ‘public health emergency’

Senior vets have warned Northern Ireland is at risk of a “public health emergency” without permanent arrangements governing the country’s supply of animal medicines being finalised.

Leading industry figures have also told a Parliamentary inquiry that action is needed “sooner rather than later”, amid concerns about a current lack of political engagement.

It is widely feared around half of all the veterinary products currently used in Northern Ireland will cease to be available if present arrangements expire without a further agreement.

‘Severe’

The potential consequences of that were described as “vast and severe” by BVA Northern Ireland branch president Esther Skelly-Smith, after she gave evidence to the House of Lords Windsor Framework sub-committee on 17 January.

She said: “Northern Ireland would be left facing a very real public health emergency and serious implications for the farming industry, as well as potentially devastating outcomes for the equine sector and companion animals unable to get the treatment they need.

“It’s crucial a permanent solution is found to ensure the protection of Northern Ireland’s animal and public health and the agricultural economy is able to continue.”

Revised regulations

Several of the main practical issues surround the application of revised EU regulations, which came into effect in early 2022 but have not been implemented in Northern Ireland yet because of the grace arrangements.

Donal Murphy, NOAH’s head of international and regulatory affairs, said full compliance with those rules would prevent products destined for Northern Ireland from being batch tested, stored or having a registered address in Great Britain.

He added: “For some of these products, the economic case to spend money on making these changes simply is not there.”

Meanwhile, Mark Little, the BVA Northern Ireland branch’s honorary secretary, said the concern about a public health emergency was shared by the British Medical Association with particular regard to two diseases of cattle, leptospirosis and Salmonella, which can be transferred to humans.

Unthinkable

He said: “These are easily preventable diseases with vaccines, and for them to be discontinued due to strict EU legislation not allowing them simply because of an address on the data sheet inside the pack is unthinkable.”

Liberal Democrat committee member Lord Thomas said the witnesses presented a “daunting and dangerous” of the potential problems.

Although current arrangements are due to remain in place until the end of 2025, sector leaders have voiced repeated concern about the need for continuing dialogue between the UK and EU on the issue, particularly given that specific arrangements have already been put in place for human medicines.

Bryan Lovegrove, secretary general of the Animal Health Distributors Association, told the committee it was “fundamentally important” that Northern Ireland was able to retain access to the same volume of veterinary medicines as was available in the rest of the UK.

‘Cliff edge’

He added: “The cliff edge of the end of December 2025 seems a long way off, but we would like to act sooner rather than later.” However, he also warned of a lack of political will, particularly from an EU perspective, to solve the problem.

Edward Ferguson, Zoetis UK’s director of regulatory and quality, argued that the fact seed potatoes were included in a similar agreement meant there should be scope for a deal on veterinary products, too.

But he added: “That requires us to be discussing it, and that is not actually happening.”

Mr Little also argued that restricting supplies to Northern Ireland also poses risks to the EU because of the threat of disease outbreaks, potentially crossing the border into the Republic of Ireland through milk and meat products.