Why a new UK-EU veterinary medicines deal is so essential

As officials prepare for the EU-UK Summit in London on 19 May 2025, policymakers must recognise the importance of a Veterinary Medicines Agreement between the EU and UK.

The summit offers a crucial opportunity to restart a programme of regulatory cooperation. It is vital that veterinary medicines are firmly on the agenda.

At the time of writing, while UK and EU regulatory systems have diverged, such differences are minimal, meaning the types of authorised veterinary medicines in the UK and EU remain the same.

Left unaddressed, however, these variances are likely to grow, with the impact on the availability of veterinary medicines in the UK increasing.

The risks of regulatory divergence

Veterinary medicines are highly regulated, and rightly so. The integrity of our food supply chain, the protection of animal and public health, and the fight against antimicrobial resistance all depend on a robust, science-led regulatory system.

Yet, without coordination between the UK and EU, businesses face duplicated and sometimes divergent requirements across the two markets, which increases burdens and poses a threat to the availability of veterinary medicines.

Such administrative burdens may sound trivial, but they add cost and complexity, create delays and ultimately impact access to these vital products. NOAH members are already reporting examples of essential products such as livestock vaccines reaching the Great Britain market many months later than they reach the EU market.

In Northern Ireland (NI), the situation is even more acute. Without an established agreement, up to 10% to 15% of veterinary medicines could be withdrawn from the NI market after the current transition period ends in December 2025.

The animal medicines industry is a small sector and is estimated to be between 2% to 3% the size of the human medicines industry.

Alignment between the UK and EU would allow for economies of scale, which can be beneficial for both product availability and future innovations, by preventing duplication of effort, which is wasteful of time, effort and energy.

Steps toward alignment

To address these challenges, the animal health industry is calling for the creation of a Veterinary Medicines Agreement as either a dedicated chapter in a renegotiated EU-UK veterinary agreement or as a stand-alone agreement. Such an agreement should include:

• Harmonisation of technical requirement for product registration, scientific guidance and post-marketing surveillance.
• Mutual recognition of batch testing, release, and certification processes.
• Joint scientific assessments by both EU and UK regulators to streamline approvals and lead to single, agreed outcomes with the potential for joint packaging.
• Common labelling requirements, allowing for joint labels between the UK and EU member states.
• The ability for the marketing authorisation holder location to be in either the EU or UK, to help access to both marketplaces.
• Cooperation to counter the threat of antimicrobial resistance.
• Sharing and assessment of pharmacovigilance information relating to suspected adverse event reports in both the UK and EU.

It’s also vital that the Government assures the long-term availability of veterinary medicine products in NI. A Veterinary Medicines Agreement with the EU could play a major role in addressing the challenges in NI and ensuring the continued supply of veterinary medicines.

Setting the standard: an opportunity for leadership

The upcoming EU-UK Summit offers an important opportunity to reset relations and for the UK to affirm its position as a global leader in animal welfare.

Impacting pet owners, veterinary professionals, livestock farmers and retailers alike, guaranteed access to veterinary medicines is fundamental to safeguarding animal welfare, ensuring food security and protecting public health under the one health framework.

Veterinary medicines must not be seen as a peripheral, technical issue, but recognised as a strategic priority for the UK.

In any future agreement, a specific chapter on veterinary medicines will be required and must not be forgotten about within the wider context of a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement. This should be negotiated now while divergences between the UK and EU remain minimal and can be aligned relatively easily.

Doing so would bring tangible benefits for animal health and the economy, support veterinary professionals in their work and ensure that high standards are maintained across the sector.

As the voice of the UK animal health industry, NOAH stands ready to work with policymakers, regulators and our European partners to make this vision a reality.

We urge others across the veterinary profession to join us in calling for action ahead of the summit.