Vets renew warning over NI medicine supplies

Veterinarians have again warned of the risk to supplies of animal medicines to Northern Ireland if the EU and UK cannot reach a new deal post-Brexit deal on the issue.

Supplies of human medicines moving from GB to NI were guaranteed through the Windsor Framework.

However animal medicines were not part of that deal and supplies are currently covered by a ‘grace period’ which expires at the end of this year.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) said that at that point 10% of products, including some critical medicines, could be withdrawn.

Dr Kristen Dunbar, President of BVA in Northern Ireland, said the issue was not so much the percentage of products that could be withdrawn but the loss of critical medicines to which there is no alternative.

A major issue is that medicines would have to be retested when they are sent from GB to NI.

That would increase cost and complexity to a level which would lead to some suppliers withdrawing products from the NI market.

Dr Dunbar said some manufacturers are already rerouting supplies through the Republic of Ireland, which would mean those products will continue to be available.

The DUP MP Gavin Robinson suggested that there are currently two potential solutions under discussion by the EU and UK.

He said that could include a special import license system for critical products.

The UK and EU are currently engaged in wider negotiations about a reset in relations which could include an agrifood deal.

Dr Dunbar said an agreement which includes veterinary medicines is “the ideal”.

However she added that is unlikely to be in place for the end of the grace period in eight months time meaning there will need to be “workaround solutions” in the interim.