'Serious risks' to animal and public health after post-Brexit grace period

The House of Lords has warned of serious risks to animal and public health, with the expiry of the post-Brexit grace period at the end of December.

New schemes for accessing animal medicines in Northern Ireland come into effect from 1 January 2026.

The Scrutiny Committee chair, Lord Carlile, has written to the government, urging it to "act with urgency and transparency".

The committee's call comes as eight veterinary, agriculture and animal health and welfare organisations joined forces to call for clarity.

They have written to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) asking how proposed schemes for managing any disruption to supply will work in practice.

Meanwhile, vets told a Stormont Committee that Northern Ireland was approaching a "major regulatory change" with "almost incomplete information".

Mark Little from the North of Ireland Veterinary Association (NIVA) said "the blinkers are still on for vets on the ground".

He and Kirsten Dunbar from NIVA told members of the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee that, due to commercial sensitivities, vets do not know what medicines may not be available in Northern Ireland.

NIVA, along with seven other organisations, have called for clarity on the situation ahead of the grace period lapsing.

They have written to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to warn that both farmers and pet owners may yet face additional costs and inconvenience, despite the development of the post-Brexit Veterinary Medicines Internal Market Scheme (VMIMS) and the Veterinary Medicines Health Situations Scheme (VMHSS).

They have asked for a meeting "ideally within the next two weeks".

Mr Little said while the position today remained stable, that may not be the case over the next year.

"We're worried about this gradual deterioration throughout 2026 – rising costs, reduced choice of these first line medicines, reduced pack sizes, increased pressure.

"If you've reduced choice and different pack sizes, you may have to get more medicine than you need, or smaller pack sizes increase pressure on antimicrobial resistance or anti-parasite resistance."

The president of NIVA and the British Veterinary Association Northern Ireland branch, Kirsten Dunbar, called for "Northern Ireland-specific plain language operational guidance" for vets, farmers and pet and horse owners as soon as possible.

He said they are suggesting the committee establish an implementation coordination group to support the transition.

"This would be a government-led group, so we just feel it's important that government continue to take a bit of responsibility for this over the next year and don't just leave us hanging out there."

The eight organisations that have come together are:

• 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
• Northern Ireland Pork and Bacon Forum

They have written to the Defra Under-Secretary of State Baroness Hayman of Ullock to ask how the proposed schemes will work in practice.

They say that without greater co-ordination, "there is a risk of disruption; increased cost pressures; rising workload; and avoidable disease pressure at a time when veterinary capacity is already stretched".

In the letter, they say recent indications suggest the number of products likely to be discontinued or subject to change may be higher than originally understood.

And they warn that could increase the risk of disruption, particularly if some products may still be marketed without guaranteeing continued supply to Northern Ireland.

Getting veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland has been made more complicated by Brexit.

Their supply will be governed by EU rules rather than UK from next year.

But because Northern Ireland vets traditionally get many medicines from UK suppliers, there had been concerns that some may then become unavailable.

While the government now believes the majority of medicines will remain available, VMIMS and VMHSS were developed to cover the remaining ones at risk of withdrawal.

The letter says the operation of these proposed schemes "places significant reliance on individual clinical discretion" and that communication has been limited, leaving many "preparing for transition without the clarity they need".

Many pet owners now obtain prescriptions from their vets to source medication online.

But the vets and industry representatives say almost all online pharmacies supplying medication to Northern Ireland are in Great Britain, and will no longer be able to dispense here from January 2026.

That, they say, will limit choice for consumers.

Not all veterinary medicines are prescribed by qualified vets.

Suitably Qualified Persons (SQPs) are professionally qualified animal medicine advisors, who can prescribe and supply certain medicines.

The vets warn that some may no longer be accessible to SQPs if availability or prescribing routes change.

One of the groups which has signed the letter - the North of Ireland Veterinary Association - will give evidence on the issue to the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee at Stormont on Thursday.