BVA presses UK Government for clarity on new veterinary medicines arrangements in Northern Ireland

Today (Tuesday 25 November 2025), the British Veterinary Association (BVA), along with BVA Northern Ireland Branch;The North of Ireland Veterinary Association; Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association; Animal Health Distributors Association; Dairy Council for Northern Ireland; Northern Ireland Meat Exporters Association; Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland; and Northern Ireland Pork and Bacon Forum, has written a joint letter to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Baroness Hayman of Ullock, urging the Government to provide clarity on how proposed schemes it is putting in place will work in practice.

While the letter welcomed the hard work to develop the Veterinary Medicines Internal Market Scheme (VMIMS) and the Veterinary Medicines Health Situations Scheme (VMHSS) and intention to protect animal and human health and welfare by ensuring continued access to veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland, it highlighted the uncertainty which remains across the sector about how the new arrangements will work in practice, particularly with the current grace period for existing measures that enable the supply of veterinary medicines to the nation post Brexit due to end on 31 December.

Concerns were raised about: the true number of medicines which are likely to be unavailable or discontinued; fears about the risk of disruption to timely access to medicines; and the impact on pet owners, who may face additional costs and inconvenience if medicines become difficult to source. The groups also worried that, without greater coordination, there is a risk of disruption; increased cost pressures; rising workload; and avoidable disease pressure at a time when veterinary capacity is already stretched.

Together, the groups asked the Defra minister to provide reassurance that arrangements will be in place to support consistent interpretation of the new schemes and called for a meeting to discuss the concerns at the earliest opportunity, ideally within the next two weeks.

Read the joint letter in full here.