The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Hilary Benn)
The Government are committed to safeguarding supplies of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland and to the protection of animal health and welfare. I therefore wish to update the House that today the Government have published a policy paper called “Protecting Animal Health: the Government’s Approach to Veterinary Medicines in Northern Ireland” and have deposited copies of the paper in the Libraries of both Houses.
Certain exemptions from EU law currently facilitate the supply of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland. These exemptions will end after 31 December 2025. Ensuring the supply of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland from 1 January 2026 is therefore of critical importance. We have seen significant progress to that end, as large sections of the pharmaceutical industry have taken and are taking the steps needed to continue to supply veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland. This means that, in the vast majority of cases, vets, farmers and pet owners will continue to have access to the medicines they need. But I recognise that even a small disruption could cause real difficulties, and that there are understandable concerns in those limited areas where supply may be disrupted and there are no alternative products authorised or available in Northern Ireland. Therefore, the Government are taking further measures to ensure access to veterinary medicines in such cases, as set out in the paper.
The Government have undertaken extensive engagement with the pharmaceutical industry, suppliers and retailers to understand the scale of any likely disruption to supply of veterinary medicines. Disruption is expected to be highly limited as a result of the pharmaceutical industry making the necessary changes to continue to supply Northern Ireland. We will continue to support industry in that endeavour in the coming months. Of the products that will be discontinued—which, on the basis of current analysis, we expect to be 10% to 15% of authorised products—most will have alternatives authorised in Northern Ireland or are not sold or only sold in limited quantities. Only a very small proportion, if discontinued, would be unlikely to have a suitable alternative and lack of access would have a significant adverse impact on animal health.
In line with the commitment in the “Safeguarding the Union” Command Paper, the Government will “deploy all available flexibilities to safeguard and sustain the supply of veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland”. To that end, the Government are setting out steps in relation to the supply routes of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland, making use of provisions within or consistent with EU law to improve access for veterinary surgeons, farmers and pet owners.
The Government are therefore launching two new schemes to ensure the needs of animal health and welfare can continue to be met. First, the veterinary medicines internal market scheme will allow veterinary surgeons to use their own judgment to determine whether to move veterinary products into Northern Ireland from Great Britain, where doing so is the only reasonable way of preventing unacceptable suffering of animals in their care, building on and simplifying existing processes. The requirement for a special import certificate will also be removed for Great Britain to Northern Ireland movements of therapeutic veterinary medicines, reflecting the importance of the UK internal market and recognising that this requirement exists for products entering the UK from outside the UK rather than movements within the UK internal market. Secondly, the veterinary medicines health situation scheme will allow the supply of alternatives to critical products in Northern Ireland, if these are not authorised and the situation of animal or public health so requires. These arrangements will last for as long as the animal or public health justification for it persists.
The combination of progress to date on the adaptation by industry and the measures set out in the paper means that the Government are confident that Northern Ireland will continue to enjoy access to the veterinary medicines necessary to protect the health and welfare of animals, and the livelihoods of farmers and veterinary surgeons.
Further guidance will be issued in due course, and we will continue to monitor emerging risks to animal health and veterinary medicine availability. Intensive engagement will continue through 2025 and beyond to address any gaps. Where they have yet to do so, we are encouraging the pharmaceutical industry to make any necessary changes as soon as possible. The Government will invite the veterinary medicines working group to continue to meet to provide a forum for discussion of both the implementation of the measures set out, and for the identification and escalation of issues to be addressed.
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